KNOW WHEN THE HOME YOU PLAN TO BUY WAS BUILT.

Get the Lead Based Paint DISCLOSURE before you make a decision to buy a home constructed 1978 or before. DISCLOSURE means that the seller discloses to you what they know about the property. This is important because if there have been lead based paint inspections, you want to know the results of the test or tests. For instance, if a previous lead based paint test shows extensive coverage of interior surfaces, you might consider not buying that house. There are thousands of homes in this area that were built when lead based paint was used. There is no reason to NOT buy these homes as long as the coverage is expected and a home buyer is prepared to manage the areas by covering the painted areas with fresh paint and practicing good remediation of chipping and peeling painted areas. However, if there have been tests, you are entitled to see that information BEFORE deciding to buy a particular property.

Home buyers are often aware that home inspections will provide buyers with detailed information about the condition, construction and maintenance of resale homes. However, items of interest are not all covered by a home inspection. One of these items is lead based paint.

If you consider homes constructed prior to 1978 in your home search, lead based paint may or may not be present in the paint covering interior or exterior surfaces. Homefinders.com provides our buyers with a LEAD BASED PAINT booklet prepared by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

REQUIRED LEAD BASED PAINT DISCLOSURES FOR HOME CONSTRUCTED IN 1978 OR EARLIER.

The Federal Lead Based Paint Disclosure will require that Sellers disclose:

LEAD WARNING STATEMENT
Every purchaser/tenant of any interest in residential real property on which a residential dwelling was built prior to 1978 is notified that such property may present exposure to lead from lead-based paint that may place young children at risk of developing lead poisoning. Lead poisoning in young children may produce permanent neurological damage, including learning disabilities, reduced intelligence quotient, behavioral problems, and impaired memory. Lead poisoning also poses a particular risk to pregnant women. The seller/landlord of any interest in residential real property is required to provide the buyer/tenant with any information on lead-based paint hazards from risk assessments or inspections in the seller's/landlord’s possession and notify the buyer/tenant of any known lead-based paint hazards. A risk assessment or inspection for possible lead-based paint hazards is recommended prior to purchase/lease.

(a) Presence of lead-based paint and/or lead-based paint hazards (check one below):

(b) Records and reports available to the seller/landlord (check one below):
Seller/Landlord has provided the purchaser/tenant with all available records and reports pertaining to lead based
paint and/or lead-based paint hazards in the housing (list documents below):

Purchasers will be given an opportunity to have a lead based paint inspection

For more information about Lead Based Paint, visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency web site at EPA.gov.

DON'T BUY A HOME CONSTRUCTED PRIOR TO 1978 WITHOUT REVIEWING THE LEAD BASED PAINT DISCLOSURE. This is important disclosure and should be reviewed BEFORE deciding to buy the home. If the seller has had any testing performed, they MUST provide the results of the test. If the seller has any documents related to any testing done on the property, they MUST provide that information.

Buyers MUST decide before writing a contract on a property constructed prior to 1978 whether or not they wish to have a LEAD BASED PAINT CONTINGENCY included as a part of their contract offer to the seller. This is an option that is contained on the LEAD BASED PAINT DISCLOSURE. If the buyer advises the seller that they wish to have a lead based paint contingency on the contract, the seller may not accept the contract. That DOES NOT mean that the house has lead based paint. Nor does it mean that the house should not be purchased. It would mean that if YOU, a contract purchaser, perform a lead based paint test and the results are positive, if you then void the contract, the seller would then be required to disclose the results of your lead based paint test to future prospective buyers, thereby making their home much less desirable than similar homes in the area, all of which probably have lead based paint.

DON'T FEAR HOMES WITH LEAD BASED PAINT.
Lead based paint was a federal requirement for much new construction for years prior to 1978. It was then the federal government that banned the use of lead in paint. Lead was a valuable component in oil based paint for the brilliant colors it provided. However, lead is a serious hazard to children in their formative years if the children are exposed to the dust from the paint, pick up dust from the house or inhale the dust from sanding, opening and closing of doors and windows. Safe practices, however, can protect children from this hazard. The EPA recommends keeping a home free from dust and keeping painted surfaces clean and freshly painted with NON-lead based paint, a procedure known as encapsulation, covering the lead based paint with NON-lead based paint.

If a home buyer is extremely afraid of lead based paint in a home, they should limit their home search in Maryland and Virginia to homes constructed AFTER 1978.