Hi all, I’m looking for some learned opinions, hopefully from people who have direct experience with older homes which contain asbestos. Especially anyone who has removed and properly disposed of the sheets themselves and how that went for you.
His/our story:
My son put a bid on a small home after being told all of the interior walls had been replaced years ago with non-asbestos sheets. He was also told that some of the original stumps/posts had been replaced with steel due to sagging in one of the bedrooms. Well, we all know how trustworthy real estate agents are, right?
At the inspections (building, pest, and asbestos), it turned out that the interior laundry/shower/and toilet areas are asbestos. We already assumed the separate, outer sunroom was, as it was enclosed later, but that’s easy enough to just leave alone and no renovating.
Now the issue: the roof is asbestos sheeting (painted) and turned out there is no interior access, so no way to really inspect inside without possibly breaking the sheeting. Likewise, what appears to be a trapdoor in the wood floor (probably where the posts were replaced) was sealed shut though we’re unsure with what? So, no way to inspect that either without cutting up the floor. With this situation, there’s no way to check for termites or to check the condition of the posts nor the roof interior.
This leaves us very unsure how to proceed, or if he should just pull out of the deal (he had stipulations in the contract subject that there was no interior asbestos).
Is it even legal to prevent full access to inspect a house for sale? He’s emailed the settlement agent, who are off for the Easter weekend, of course.
So, the reason for sticking with it this far is that he got the house at what has become the new normal— inflated but a good price for the size/location. Barring the asbestos/floor issues, the house is also in extremely good, solid condition, inside and out. It’s situated in a spot which is becoming commercial/apartments and the lot is large enough for something larger/two-story if down the road, he wanted to sell to a developer. The location is also good for the tenants, who will be his sister and her boyfriend (we all live together now in the place he bought end of 2019). He had then locked-in a 2% 5 yr fixed and has been saving money since then as when the rates went up, his didn’t. Now he’s on variable, but saved enough in that 5 yrs to offset the rest of that loan. Both he and his sister paid off their HECS and with four working, all of us are saving money and, no one has debt except for his current house loan.
We’re very on the fence. He’s a good kid trying to invest whilst housing his sister and her boyfriend for a few years. They likely won’t stay there forever, and then he can decide what he wants to do. He’s considering taking the course on homeowner asbestos removal and doing the work himself. He has workmates who have done this during their own renovations.
My main concern is that there could be anything wrong in the floor ceiling and without knowing, that could turn into tens of thousands of dollars of repair work. I said that even something like having plumbing work carried out could become impossible once the plumber is told about the asbestos (and no, he would never not disclose this).
As house prices climb, and with him wanting to invest in something both likely to hold/increase in value, plus having ready-to-go tenants he can trust, he’s a bit lost as he mulls it all over. I suggested he counter-offer for the unseen possible repair work, or, the owner finds a way to cover the access costs required for a proper inspection. My son is already out of pocket for the partial inspections due to the lying real estate agent.
So that’s our predicament. Any and all helpful replies greatly appreciated.
Thanks everyone!
"My main concern is that there could be anything wrong in the floor ceiling and without knowing, that could turn into tens of thousands of dollars of repair work."
Agree, sight unseen I'd give it a miss
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