Buying an Older Home in New Jersey? Why Lead Testing Matters
A real New Jersey home-buying case: buyers purchasing a remodeled 1957 home were concerned about original painted surfaces in the basement. See how a professional lead inspection and laboratory testing provided answers before closing.
Buying a Remodeled Older Home? Why Lead Testing Can Still Be Worthwhile
A Real New Jersey Home Inspection Case Study
Buying an older home can come with questions that aren't always answered by how a property looks today.
We recently performed a lead inspection during a real estate transaction involving a New Jersey home originally built in 1957. The property had undergone significant remodeling over the years and much of the home appeared considerably newer than its original construction date.
The prospective buyers, however, had one particular concern: the basement.
Unlike much of the remodeled home, the basement retained original areas and painted wall surfaces. Because of the age of the property, the buyers wanted to know whether lead was present rather than simply assuming that previous renovations had eliminated any older lead-containing coatings.
Testing Instead of Guessing
Older homes are often a mixture of different generations of building materials.
A kitchen may have been completely replaced. Bedrooms may have new drywall and trim. Windows and doors may have been updated. Yet basements, utility areas, closets and other less frequently renovated portions of a home can retain original materials and painted surfaces.
In this particular transaction, the buyers decided that the best way to address their concern was to have the property professionally inspected for lead.
A comprehensive lead inspection was performed, including the areas that had specifically concerned the buyers. Samples were collected as appropriate and submitted for laboratory analysis.
The Laboratory Results Brought Good News
In this case, the results were exactly what the buyers had hoped for.
Laboratory analysis did not detect lead in the materials tested.
For the buyers, the inspection provided something that appearances alone could not: documented information about the property before completing their purchase.
Rather than wondering whether original painted surfaces in a home built in 1957 might contain lead, they were able to make their decision with actual testing results in hand.
Sometimes Finding Nothing Is a Valuable Result
Environmental inspections aren't only about discovering problems.
Sometimes the value of an inspection is confirming that a suspected problem was not identified within the scope of the testing performed.
That can be especially meaningful during a real estate transaction. Buyers are making a substantial investment, and questions about older building materials can create unnecessary uncertainty when they haven't been investigated.
In this case, a concern about the original basement of a remodeled 1957 home was addressed through inspection and laboratory testing—and the buyers were very pleased with the results.
Older Home Doesn't Automatically Mean Lead Problem
The age of a property can be a reason to investigate, but it shouldn't be treated as a diagnosis.
Likewise, extensive remodeling doesn't necessarily tell a buyer everything about the materials that remain elsewhere in the house.
Testing replaces assumptions with information.
For buyers considering an older New Jersey home, particularly one containing original painted surfaces, a lead inspection can provide useful information before the transaction is completed.
Lead Inspection Services in New Jersey
DS Environmental / Bug Bust Pest Control provides professional lead inspection and risk assessment services for New Jersey properties, including inspections associated with real estate transactions and rental properties.
If you're purchasing an older home and have questions about painted surfaces or possible lead hazards, we can help determine the appropriate inspection and testing approach.
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