If you’re in the market to buy a new home, stay alert and attentive as you visit different houses. It’s easy to be impressed by attractive renovations and sleek new appliances, but you should also look out for safety hazards at each showing. Some of these safety concerns are easy to remedy, but others may be deal-breakers for you and your family. Make informed choices to keep everyone in your household safe!
Poor Electrical Wiring
Do any of the light fixtures flicker when you turn them on? Do some electrical outlets work fine, while others provide no power? Old, corroded, or faulty wiring can elevate the risk of fires breaking out in the home.
Enlist an electrician to perform a thorough inspection of the wiring in the house you’re thinking of buying. They can locate faulty wiring and estimate the cost and time required to fix it; some projects, like ground wiring, are inexpensive. You can opt to fix the wiring yourself or alert the seller to the problem and give them the opportunity to fix it.
Asbestos
If you’re looking at a home built before 1980, you’ll need to make sure that all traces of asbestos are gone before you buy. Asbestos was a common building material for acoustic insulation, floor tile backing, and textured paint, among other applications. Its relative resistance to fire and effectiveness at insulation made it popular for decades—until studies revealed that it causes cancer.
Undisturbed asbestos isn’t an immediate health risk; the hazardous part occurs when you move it around, releasing fibers into the air. If the home you’re looking at buying has asbestos building materials, you’ll need to hire professionals to remove it safely.
Radon Gas
Radon is an odorless and colorless gas found in all 50 US states. It’s also the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. If you’re thinking of buying a home, ask the seller if they’ve tested it for radon recently.
There are several things home buyers should know about radon before officially purchasing the home. One being that even if the seller says they don’t have radon problems, you should still have a radon expert test the home independently. If test results indicate high levels of radon, you can choose to install your own mitigation system or not buy the home at all.
When buying a new home, keep the health and safety of your household at the forefront of your mind! Look out for these common safety hazards at each showing, and decide for yourself whether you want to mitigate these risks yourself or keep on shopping.
