Tom Crimmins Realty Blog

What is asbestos?

When you're in the process of searching for a house one of the last things that might cross your mind is Asbestos. What is Asbestos? It's a serious cancer causing and health damaging fibrous mineral that can be found in homes built before 1980.  When you go on google and type in Staten Island Homes for Sale, more then likely you aren't going to surpass real estate listings that will inform you about the negative aspects of the house until you're actually at the open house itself. Here at Tom Crimmins Realty, we make sure that you don't just purchase big houses for sale - we want to ensure that you are informed and educated about the materials within that house. Especially if you're a first time home buyer, we want you to have that trust in us to address all aspects of the home.

History/Background

The usage of Asbestos goes all the way back to prehistoric times. Asbestos really started becoming useful and known in society in around the late 1800s. Being in the time period of the industrial revolution and us growing as a society, we began to realize the health dangers that it contained for both providers and consumers, despite it being a great ingredient for steam engines, boilers, and generators. Asbestos started becoming more common globally and was being used for many things such as cement and heat, as well as for electrical uses, and the demand truly sky rocketed in 1973 and was at it's peak. It wasn't until the late 1970s where there was huge decline because the public was exposed to the harm that could be caused from Asbestos. Many countries banned the use of Asbestos after seeing the damage it did to people, but the whole reason for informing people about Asbestos is because the United States is one of the few nations that didn't terminate it immediately - the last mine was closed in 2002. You're probably wondering why someone would incorporate something so harmful to the human body in a house. Its because it's a good source for the prevention of a fire and can strengthen the material that is used for roofing,tiles, and thermal insulation and in many cases, is often overlooked.

How can you get rid of it?

Whether you're on the hunt for condos for sale, houses for sale, or town homes for sale it important to obtain knowledge about were you are considering to move into because some houses still contain Asbestos. It's essential to understand how you can have it removed. The process is called DIY removal, its when a professional Asbestos specialists comes to your house to remove it. To keep you and your loved ones protected, it's highly recommended not to attempt to remove it on your own. However, it is permitted to remove a maximum of 10 square meters of bonded Asbestos; anything over that means you should seek the help of a professional.           

How is this significant?

Because Asbestos was used so much from the 1800s to the late 1900s it was incorporated into houses. It's understandable now why they would use it in houses then, because how popular it became and the impact it had on society. But now that we have the ability and the resources to conduct further research and identify the harmful effects it ha,s we should really avoid it. When you are talking to a real estate agent and talking about the styles of homes you want, make sure that you find out information about the foundation and the construction of the house. No one wants to get a cheap home and be stuck with trying to resolve any problems within the house after the contract has already been signed. As a real estate agent, you aren't responsible for the cleaning of the Asbestos but you certainly have to inform the buyer that there is an issue. But the real estate agent isn't always the one responsible for providing every single detail - it's always good to do some testing and get some background of your own about the home before actually buying the house.  

References

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