Why Have an Asbestos Audit Before Buying a Fixer-Upper?
Buying a fixer-upper allows you to create a perfect new home for you and family while keeping to a budget. However, if you're buying an older property, then you should do some due diligence before you buy.
Older properties can hide a multitude of sins that aren't always immediately visible to buyers. So, you'll run through a series of checks before you commit to the purchase. As part of this process, it's worth having an asbestos audit done on the property. Why should you do this?
Better Budgeting
When you first look at a fixer-upper, you'll plan your budget based on immediate and obvious problems. For example, if the roof is badly damaged, then you can easily see that it is likely to need replacement. However, some problems in older properties lie behind the surface. If the property contains a lot of asbestos, then this may be hidden in places you can't spot it. Hidden problems like this can blow your budget.
If you do find asbestos in the property after you buy it and start work, then you'll have additional costs to remove it. If you have an asbestos audit on the property, you'll know where you stand and can factor its removal into your renovation budget. Having a comprehensive budget before you buy helps you decide if the property is a good investment or not.
Better Renovation Planning
When you plan what you'll do with your fixer upper, you'll create a schedule of work. There are some things that need to be handled quickly and some things that need to wait for other work to be done. One of the problems with renovating older properties is the fact that they often have problems that you don't find out about until work starts. This can screw up your planning or add costly time delays.
For example, if you've booked a plumber to come in and install new plumbing and a hot water system, then they can only work if things are safe. If they go into your walls and find asbestos, then they won't be able to do the job.
You'll have to let the plumber go until all the asbestos is taken out. If your plumber is popular, then you may have to wait a while until they are free to do your jobs again. If you had an asbestos audit, you would have been able to deal with the problem before any other work needed to be done.
To find out more about how an audit works and what it can tell you before you buy, contact local asbestos auditing contractors.
