Contractor Staten Island

So, you’re ready to take the big plunge into home ownership. You’ve made a thorough checklist of the most important factors to review with your real estate agent:

• ·         Location
• ·         Property Size
• ·         Number of preferred bedrooms and bathrooms
• ·         Important upgrades

You think you have come up with every possible question to ask… You’ve found your dream home… the stars have aligned and a few short months later, you’re pulling the moving truck into your very own driveway. But over the course of the next few weeks, you start to notice things about your new home that you hadn’t even considered before… little things that bother you; minor inconveniences… and maybe even some big issues. The following is a list of three important factors to consider when buying a house that you might not even think of before you sign on the dotted line.

Old Victorians, fixer-uppers… they might look beautiful and sound like a fun project to take on, but in reality they could pose as a potential health risk. Any house built before 1978 may contain significant amounts of lead-based paint, both interior and exterior. Lead-based paint was banned from use in homes after 1978 due to its health risks. Federal law requires sellers to disclose any known information about houses that contain lead-based paint as well as information on its dangers. Still, so many people overlook this information; thinking it does not pose as a significant risk since they’re not ingesting the paint.

However, paint that’s chipping or areas that maintain a lot of friction, such as doorways and window sills, create lead dust that you can breathe in Contractor Staten Island. Not to mention, pets and children can ingest the dust if they are walking or crawling on the floor or putting things in their mouths that lead dust has landed on. Of the many negative health effects lead has on humans, it most significantly affects infants and small children’s neurological development. The effects are irreversible; therefore, it is important to eliminate as much exposure to it as possible.

If you do fall in love with a house that contains lead-based paint, there are ways you can manage it. It is important to note that you should not try to remove or cover lead-based paint with other paint yourself Contractor Staten Island, as you might disrupt the paint and create unhealthy dust and debris. The only way to safely and permanently eliminate lead-based paint in your home is to hire a certified professional to perform a thorough inspection, risk assessment and abatement of the lead-based paint.