In both cases, a skilled inspector — particularly one with expertise in mold-related issues — can help clarify whether something serious is occurring and roughly how much it will cost to fix.
A questionable past
“Stigmatized property” laws around the area bar disclosure about whether a home was the site of a homicide or suicide, or whether a former owner had a deadly disease. That means sellers and their agents are under no obligation to tell buyers if something horrific occurred on the property. And for some buyers, that’s fine: They don’t really care.
For others, the idea of living in a house where someone died freaks them out.
Talking to neighbors or Googling the property are options for learning about a home’s past — though if it has a grisly history, there’s a slight chance the owners have changed the address in an effort to avoid that kind of detection.
Which means sometimes intuition is the best guide.
“A couple years ago, I sold an expensive house in Georgetown,” said Sauter, the Potomac agent. It was an odd house, she said: The living room and master bedroom were huge, the other rooms small and one bathroom was painted and tiled in black. Then there was the basement: “The buyer kept getting the creeps when she went down there.” Eventually, the client decided she didn’t want the house, and Sauter got her out of the contract. “And the very next day,” Sauter said, “I found out it was a former mortuary.”
The most confusing issue might be if a home was used as a methamphetamine lab. Granted, that’s not common in this area, but it could be a health hazard as the chemicals used to make the drug can become embedded in a home’s frame and make its residents very sick. But so far, there’s little agreement over whether it qualifies as a material defect, and none of the area’s jurisdictions make a specific allowance for it.
The buyer’s tool kit
What about bedbugs and termites, a sex offender living nearby, or a planned-for-but-not-yet-under-construction highway? They’re all categories in which a buyer may not get any information at all from the seller or his agent ahead of time.
Ultimately, prospective home buyers have two key tactics. The first is a careful home inspection by a highly regarded professional. According to most of the agents interviewed, it’s an absolute must — even if the house is new, and even in the case of a sellers’ market, when time is of the essence.
Second, buyers need to do due diligence and research the property. Don’t just look online; wander around the neighborhood and talk to residents. It works.
“One client experienced backed-up sewer lines [in the house] on the day of the closing,” said Christopher Darby, a lawyer with Counselors Title. His client immediately asked around, “and one of the neighbors said: ‘Are you kidding? The sewer people were out here last month.’ ”
Amanda Abrams is a freelance writer.
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