Photo Source: CDC Drywall Information Center
I’ve been participating in a real estate forum where the original poster (OP) was looking for real estate agents that could help her find newer homes that do not contain Chinese drywall in a certain Florida city. Chinese drywall may have hazardous chemical compounds with negative health consequences. This has resulted in some builders having to tear the drywall out of their homes.
The thrust of the discussion revolved around the OP’s assertion that agents should have knowledge of which builders and homes would likely have Chinese drywall, and if they don’t they are lazy agents. The agents responding to this say this is outside of the typical agent’s area of expertise. The OP should rely on an inspector knowledgeable about this material to determine if a given home has it or not. The OP does not want to put a contract on a home and spend money on inspections before knowing if the home likely has it or not. Understandable, but how can an agent know with any certainty if a given home has this material or not without a professional inspection?
In general, agents have to be careful about advice and information offered to their clients. Providing incorrect information can cost a buyer considerably, and expose the agent to legal liability. An agent should know when to direct clients to other sources so they can make good informed decisions. In Arizona, we have a “Buyer Advisory” that has information about a number of topics buyers should investigate with links to more detailed discussion. And yes, it does have a link to a discussion of Chinese drywall.
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The first Chinese drywall lawsuit begins this month and here is some good information on this ongoing issue: http://www.chinese-drywall-answers.com/. Among other problems, people living with Chinese drywall have also suffered eye, respiratory, and sinus problems in addition to problems in their homes such as awful odors and metal corrosion. Some 500 million pounds of Chinese drywall were imported into the U.S., impacting about 100,000 homes.