Buying an Old Home or Remodeled Old Home!

When buying a remodeled old home like from 1800, 1930 to 1978. One of the main concerns when remodeling an old home would be the removing of old materials. For Example:  asbestos and lead based paint as well you have old electrical wiring, A/C unit and plumbing. Thomasville, GA has it's share of old homes.

Removing any of these materials are not cheap or easy and needs to be done right by professionals. If the home does not have any harmful materials the homeowner or the contractor should have documentation of no finding from the proper agencies performing the testing, then you are good to go, but if it was done without the assistance of the proper agencies then the removal of these materials was done wrong and the employees working on this home were exposed to these harmful fibers and so would be the buyers of these homes. Realtors selling these types of homes should have all property disclosure documents uploaded to the listing in order to provide the proper information that the home is safe and eliminating the possibility of exposure for any visitors. If no documents are provided as to the outcome of the testing or removal of the old materials, consumers would need to perform the proper testing of the indoor air and possibly the exterior grounds to ensure that it is a safe home.  If documentation does not exists of proper agencies of no problems with the home RUN!!!!.



Throughout the United States, asbestos is a concernAsbestos:

Asbestos is a mineral fiber. It can be positively identified only with a special type of microscope. There are several types of asbestos fibers. In the past, asbestos was added to a variety of products to strengthen them and to provide heat insulation and fire resistance.

How Can Asbestos Affect My Health?
From studies of people who were exposed to asbestos in factories and shipyards, we know that breathing high levels of asbestos fibers can lead to an increased risk of:

• lung cancer;
• mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the chest and the abdominal cavity; and
• asbestosis, in which the lungs become scarred with fibrous tissue.

The risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma increases with the number of fibers inhaled. The risk of lung cancer from inhaling asbestos fibers is also greater if you smoke. People who get asbestosis have usually been exposed to high levels of asbestos for a long time. The symptoms of these diseases do not usually appear until about 20 to 30 years after the first exposure to asbestos.


Most people exposed to small amounts of asbestos, as we all are in our daily lives, do not develop these health problems. However, if disturbed, asbestos material may release asbestos fibers, which can be inhaled into the lungs. The fibers can remain there for a long time, increasing the risk of disease. Asbestos material that would crumble easily if handled, or that has been sawed, scraped, or sanded into a powder, is more likely to create a health hazard.


http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/ashome.html

Lead-Based Paint:

Old lead-based paint is the most significant source of lead exposure in the U.S. today. Most homes built before 1960 contain heavily leaded paint. Some homes built as recently as 1978 may also contain lead paint. This paint could be on window frames, walls, the outside of homes, or other surfaces. Harmful exposures to lead can be created when lead-based paint is improperly removed from surfaces by dry scraping, sanding, or open-flame burning. High concentrations of airborne lead particles in homes can also result from lead dust from outdoor sources, including contaminated soil tracked inside, and use of lead in certain indoor activities such as soldering and stained-glass making.

Health Effects of Exposure to Lead:

Lead affects practically all systems within the body. At high levels it can cause convulsions, coma, and even death. Lower levels of lead can adversely affect the brain, central nervous system, blood cells, and kidneys.

The effects of lead exposure on fetuses and young children can be severe. They include delays in physical and mental development, lower IQ levels, shortened attention spans, and increased behavioral problems. Fetuses, infants, and children are more vulnerable to lead exposure than adults since lead is more easily absorbed into growing bodies, and the tissues of small children are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead. Children may have higher exposures since they are more likely to get lead dust on their hands and then put their fingers or other lead-contaminated objects into their mouths.

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/homes/hip-lead.html

Examples of Where Asbestos Hazards May Be Found In The Home:

· Some roofing and siding shingles are made of asbestos cement.

· Houses built between 1930 and 1950 may have asbestos as insulation.

Where Can I Find Asbestos And When Can It Be A Problem?

Most products made today do not contain asbestos. Those few products made which still contain asbestos that could be inhaled are required to be labeled as such. However, until the 1970s, many types of building products and insulation materials used in homes contained asbestos. Common products that might have contained asbestos in the past, and conditions which may release fibers, include:

· STEAM PIPES, BOILERS, and FURNACE DUCTS insulated with an asbestos blanket or asbestos paper tape. These materials may release asbestos fibers if damaged, repaired, or removed improperly.

· RESILIENT FLOOR TILES (vinyl asbestos, asphalt, and rubber), the backing on VINYL SHEET FLOORING, and ADHESIVES used for installing floor tile. Sanding tiles can release fibers. So may scraping or sanding the backing of sheet flooring during removal.

· CEMENT SHEET, MILLBOARD, and PAPER used as insulation around furnaces and woodburning stoves. Repairing or removing appliances may release asbestos fibers. So may cutting, tearing, sanding, drilling or sawing insulation.

· DOOR GASKETS in furnaces, wood stoves, and coal stoves. Worn seals can release asbestos fibers during use.

· SOUNDPROOFING OR DECORATIVE MATERIAL sprayed on walls and ceilings. Loose, crumbly, or water-damaged material may release fibers. So will sanding, drilling or scraping the material.

· PATCHING AND JOINT COMPOUNDS for walls and ceilings, and TEXTURED PAINTS. Sanding, scraping, or drilling these surfaces may release asbestos.

· ASBESTOS CEMENT ROOFING, SHINGLES, and SIDING. These products are not likely to release asbestos fibers unless sawed, drilled or cut.

Sray Foam Insulation:

Spray foam insulation in the attic area will help any home by reducing the heat in an attic space and at the same time help the A/C unit from working as hard. This will not give you an energy efficient home. If the home is not started with the concept of building it energy efficient from the ground up and many steps taken to achieve a proper rating by a third party it is not an energy efficient home. And there is no such thing as energy efficient spray foam! Spray foam are available as a closed cell or open cell but not available as an energy efficient spray foam.


Thomasville, GA has it's share of old homes and new homes built to bare and below minimum code.

Documentation of proper removal from proper agency, even if the agency did not find any Lead, Mold, or Asbestos it should be documentation if not DO NOT BUY that old home.


http://greenhomeguide.com/askapro/question/energy-efficient-homes - NO, YOU CAN NOT Thomasville, GA. REALTORS. This would be faults advertising.

Allowing A Dual Agent to Recommend and to the Home Inspection For A Home Buyer, That’s A NO, NO/…….

I found today an interested article that buyers and sellers should read. All 10 things are very interesting, but the one that stuck out the most was #7. Why? because today I ran across a very interesting review posted by a brokerage office.

If a buyer is interested in buying a home that buyer should be or should have a family member setup and make sure that someone is available for all inspections and the home buyer should get their own inspector and not use one that is recommended by any realtor and a realtor should not recommend any inspectors to use. Recommending any one would be a conflict of interest (COI). Sometimes you learn this thing the hard way, but by then it is too late you already purchased a box not a home.

http://finance.yahoo.com/education/real_estate/article/101456/10_Things_Your_Real_Estate_Broker_Wont_Tell_You

7. "I won't let termites - or pesky inspectors - kill a deal."
If a broker is selling a house, you figure he knows the place pretty intimately - after all, he talks a good game about the new kitchen, the big closets, the heated garage. What you need to worry about, though, are the home's features that he keeps to himself. Steve Van Grack, chairman of the Maryland Real Estate Commission, says, "We have had cases where [brokers have] been deceptive about termites and flood damage."

You'd figure that the home inspector, who comes to check out the place before you close the sale, might notice those things. And he will - if he's not in cahoots with the broker. "Realtors give potential homebuyers lists of home inspectors," says S. Woody Dawson, a structural inspector in Connecticut. "Those are people who will rubber-stamp the house" in return for repeat business. As one who works outside those lists, Dawson says that he sometimes butts heads with overly controlling brokers. "One time I had a broker tell me that unless I told her the results of my inspection - which is confidential between myself and my client - she wouldn't let me get up on the roof. I got out my ladder and told her that unless she was big enough to stop me, I was going up there. She wasn't big enough."

5 ways homebuyers are kept in the dark

1.         Home inspections from agent-referred inspectors
Home inspectors typically get their work from real-estate agents, and homebuyers seldom consider the problems with using an inspector recommended by an agent. This relationship, however, is one of the darkest corners of the real-estate business.

Why you're in the darkSome agents — by no means all — pressure home inspectors to turn in a "good" report, says Barry Stone, a home inspector in San Luis Obispo County, Calif. In his syndicated column, "

The House Detective," he has called the agent-inspector relationship "a clear conflict of interest."

Here's why: Real-estate agents don't get paid unless a home sale goes through. A pre-sale home inspection that uncovers problems can be the kiss of death to a sale. At the least, the sale is slowed down.

"Realtors constantly make these hints. They'll say, 'It really matters to me to close this deal,' " Stone says. "They won't come right out and tell you that they don't want you to disclose everything, but they'll hint at it."

2. Dual agentsMost states allow a real-estate agency — sometimes even the agent herself — to represent both buyer and seller in the same transaction. This is known as dual agency.

Why you're in the darkMany real-estate agents with great integrity insist they can give both sides their loyalty and confidentiality. Or, if a conflict arises, they’ll step aside and ask a colleague to assist you.

But critics call it a conflict of interest. What happens when a buyer instructs the agent to get the lowest possible price and the seller of the house tells the same agent to get the highest possible price?

Also, confidentiality is at risk. That risk exists even if real-estate agents simply work in the same agency, says John Sullivan, a Realtor and president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents: "You're using common fax machines and office equipment. There are just too many instances where your information is subject to being disclosed."

Traditionally, real-estate agents worked only for sellers. Today, state laws, which vary widely, govern agent-client relationships. (Find your state's real-estate commission and read the laws and rules at the Association of Real Estate License Law Professionals.)

3. Agent incentivesWith the flooded home market these days, some sellers are offering to give agents incentives — cash, cars, trips and other prizes. They figure that agents are more likely to show their property when there's something in it for them. Also, agents often can earn a bonus from their own agency for selling one of the agency's listings.

Why you're in the dark – This is a big one in

South Georgia all you get is
Guidance on what they want you to see. The trouble here is not bonuses, but the lack of disclosure. You deserve to know your agent's motives in selecting properties to show you and giving guidance on what to buy.

“Manipulation at it best” 99% of all properties are sold by the same listing agent. and it is not because they have the best properties.

The NAR ethics code requires agents to put clients' needs ahead of their own. But agents aren't required to disclose bonuses and incentives until the last minute, on your HUD-1 statement. Noncash prizes and trips need not be disclosed. DUAL AGENTS CAN NOT NEGOTIATE “They Are Useless” When using the same listing agent as your buyer’s agent, even if they are from the same office. They are just expensive paper pushers.

How to turn on the lights:

Demand disclosure. Ask your agent to agree to tell you if a property has incentives or bonuses attached.

Craft an agreement that benefits you. Write a clause into your agent agreement that any bonuses or incentives attached to a property you buy go directly to you.

Read More @

http://realestate.msn.com/5-ways-homebuyers-are-kept-in-the-dark

 

Campaigning for Better Building Codes

Campaigning for Better Building Codes

Matt Pearce
Campaign Specialist
U.S. Green Building Council

Earlier this month, USGBC launched our seventh and final campaign of the 2012 Advocacy Campaign Agenda: Build Better Codes. In this campaign, USGBC is calling on its community to actively engage in the greening of state and local building codes.

Building codes define a state or community’s minimum expectations for all buildings. As such, this campaign to build better, greener codes plays an important role in enabling market transformation towards a market norm of healthy, low-impact, responsible and efficient buildings and neighborhoods.

USGBC and many of its partners have long been active in developing a response to the demand for regulatory guidance for better, greener buildings. Building energy codes have filled some of the void, but fall far short of addressing the much broader spectrum of building-related risks to human and environmental health. State and local governments across the country will get their wish next week when the 2012 version of the International Green Construction Code (IgCC) is released. The IgCC, which includes ASHRAE Standard 189.1 as an optional path to compliance, serves to provide any code adopting body with the today’s best-available starting point for extending the benefits of green buildings to all buildings designed, built or renovated in a community.

With all this new material for code adopting bodies to consider – and many already are – USGBC’s Build Better Codes campaign calls on the full community of green building professionals to coach these codes from idea into reality. I hope you’ll join us in our effort to Build Better Codes.

http://usgbcblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/campaigning-for-better-building-codes.html?showComment=1334333054581#c5399078000029574105

We defiantly need a better building code and for our County Inspector to up hold our existing code and not be so lenient on some or most of the existing builders and people building with no license and working under someone’s license with no building knowledge in Thomasville, GA and South Georgia. It is not right that homes are being built below to bare minimum code.
http://www.capitalhomebuilders.com/Thomasville_Homes_Built.htm Images of homes in Thomas County being built bare to below minimum code by an unlicensed person working under someone else's building License in thomasville, GA. We believe this is one of the reasons homes in Thomasville, GA. are losing value. These homes being built by unqualified sub-contractors with cheap low end materials are hurting homes built right and built above minimum code.

Licensed builders & unlicensed builders in thomasville GA - Buying A Standard home Vs. A Custom Green Home?

Realtors are not the only ones looking for creative way to sell homes. We can not leave out those builders that are making the most of minimum code.

An energy efficient (Green) home is a better built home. A green custom built home has to follow strict guidelines by the EPA and other green programs like LEED or NAHB Green. These guidelines are set so the outcome of a green custom home is a home built above minimum code, and a healthy home built above minimum code will save you 40% to 50% on your energy bill. A standard built home has no guidelines has no restrictions. A standard built home can be built with cheap materials, cheap labors, and built below or to bare minimum code and in my area these are the type of homes being built and widely shown for a quick sale.
These homes were advertised as quality built, but changed to luxury. I guess the quality work was left out and someone pointed this out.  Do the math, buying a cheap home / non green home will only cost you more money in the long run. See a few listed examples below.
Example-1: Wrong size A/C unit = If the A/C is to small it will work overtime to cool the house and if the A/C is to big your home will have too much Moisture in the house and to much moisture creates mold.
Example-2: If the roof is not vented properly all that heat will not escape again A/C unit will be working overtime and in winter the cold attic will take longer for the A/C unit to warm the house.
Example-3: Improper use of valley metal or no valley metal and the improper use of roof paper. All have a good potential for a roof leak.

Example-4: Holes in the sheathing or big gaps is a good way to get cold spots in winter and A/C leakage in the summer, Also A good potential to keep the pest control companies in business. Big problems, in my part of town.Example-5: We can go on listing all of the non benefits of building a cheap home or non green home, but hopefully you get it. Example-6: Felt paper. As warm moist air rises the felt paper allows the moist air to pass through, but if some of the moisture condenses on the underside of the shingle, the felt paper keeps that condensed moisture from touching the wood.


The Florida Everglades are not the only place posing a big problem with snakes.