Home Buying Hazards Overview

When purchasing a home, safety is always of the utmost importance, given you will spend vast amounts of time there for years to come. So what are the common culprits that make a home unsafe and how do you deal with them as a homebuyer? The list of things that can be hazardous in a home is almost endless, but lead-based paint, asbestos fiber, radon gas, and mold are the most common worries of buyers today in Ames and Central Iowa. Although any of these elements is potentially dangerous, their presence alone does not make them an immediate danger. In fact, many homes will have one or more of these elements which never happen to affect the occupants. Lead-based paint that has been covered and remains unmolested is a frequent and rarely harmful occurrence. Asbestos fibers that don't find a way to your lungs via the air are also harmless. Very few house basements actually have "no" radon gas, and people with high radon levels that rarely visit their basements may go virtually unaffected. I'm not claiming these things as any less hazardous, but the truth is you can't get bit by a snake you don't encounter. The next few posts this month will cover more specifically these hazards you could encounter.