INSPECTING HOMES IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY MARYLAND

LEAD BASED PAINT

Disclosure of known lead based paint presence in homes in Montgomery County is required of the seller. However, many home owners do not know if the paint contains lead. So, disclosure is just one step. Knowing that any home constructed prior to 1978 MAY contain lead is the best notice possible.
50 years ago when a home owner needed to paint the exterior of their home, they went to the hardware store and purchased a supply of ground lead, linseed oil, pigment and paint drying mediums. These materials were blended and applied to the exterior wood trim, siding, windows and anything needing protection from the elements. Unfortunately, this paint lasts a long time. Further, over the years most commercially produced paints prior to 1978 contained lead as a major component.

The presence of lead based paint on surfaces is detected by testing. If you consider a home for purchase and you have children under the ages of 7 years or anticipate having small children in the home, you might consider doing a lead based paint test. It can be done prior to purchase or following settlement. The recommended remedy for chipping or peeling paint is scraping and repainting, known as encapsulation.

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.

We will provide our buyers with a LEAD BASED PAINT booklet prepared by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

How do children get lead poisoning?
The most common cause of lead poisoning is from the lead paints that were used in the 1960's and earlier. Lead is also in dust, soil, water, food, and in the air. Children can get lead poisoning by:

* putting hands or toys with lead dust on them or in their mouths.
* eating the lead paint chips that peel off the walls.
* chewing on window sills and door frames.

Many home sellers will not enter into a contract with a buyer requesting a lead based paint test contingency. Further, once the seller had knowledge of the substance, they would have to disclose that knowledge to future prospective buyers. So, since many homes in Montgomery County were constructed prior to 1978, you will seriously limit your choices of homes to buy by requiring a test. The test can be performed and remedial work done after settlement.

We don't recommend against including a lead based paint test as a part of your offer. We just know that it will limit your choices of homes to buy.

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