Re: Things to check for before signing that lease, or buying a new house.

[Guest guest]

Excellent summary. Thanks

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> Whether you are buying or leasing a house, it is very important that you

inspect it thoroughly. There are many sick-houses these days that can seriously

damage one's health due to mold. The problem is highly under-reported.

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> To avoid it, simply walk on the roof and look for soft spots that you might

fall through, or signs of rot. Definitely crawl through the entire attic w/ a

flash-light and look for miscolored boards on the roof. Remember to bring your

flash-light when house-hunting. Darker-colored boards, or even white, or green

boards indicate that rain has leaked in to the roof at some point, and caused

rot. Hunt out any rot and do not buy if you find it. If the board is miscolored,

and soft enough to poke a screw-driver in to, or smells like mildew, do not move

in. Also, check the window sills! Check each window sill for soft spots. Water

can condense on the inside of the window, and drip down to the sill and seep in

to the sill and cause bad mold problems. Just press down hard w/ your fingers on

the sill, especially the corners. If it gives some, do not move in! If you smell

anything like mold, or mildew, or rotting wood, or " refridgerator smell " do not

move in! It's prudent to request that all windows be shut for 24 hours and the

A/C kept off for a few days before you enter the house, and then smell all over

for mildew-smells. If nothing else, do this while you're inspecting the house.

A/C can mask the smell. Beware of basements. Make sure the gutters are not

clogged, are in working order, and funnel the water away from the house

properly. Look around all plumbing/pipes for signs of wood-rot/previous leakage.

Make sure there are no cancer-towers or cell-phone towers, or high-power lines

near your new place. Look for discolored water-marks on the ceiling! Thoroughly

inspect the entire ceiling for discoloration in every room. A house with no

drywall or carpeting is healthier than one with, but these are bearable w/

weekly/regular vacuuming and no water-leaks. Covering up rotten wood w/ tar is

not a proper roof repair. If you can talk to the previous owners, that would be

helpful to find out if it is a sick building. How often did they get

strept-throat, head-aches, light-sensitivity, foggy-headed or poor memory? Did

it change after moving out? Sleeping in it for just one night should give you a

sign of how your body reacts to it. Look for a runny-nose or the previous

mentioned symptoms of mold toxicity. Black-mold can permanently damage a

person's immune system. It's nothing to even test with, but any-colored mold or

off-smell can be dangerous. Fore-warned is fore-armed. This is a major and very

under-reported problem in this country not to be taken lightly. You may now be

young and strong now, but all it takes is a tiny speck of mold-spore to ruin

your health. Your health is number one. Health is more important than your job.

Without health, you can not have or enjoy anything, so be fore-warned and

fore-armed.

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