Katy Home Inspection - Certified Home Inspectors - Sugar Land Home Inspections

Increasing reports nationwide indicate that more than 500 million pounds of drywall shipped from China to the United States between 2004-06 contains potentially toxic sulfur compounds believed to be responsible for damaging hundreds of homes, creating possible health problems and prompting a string of lawsuits against builders and drywall manufacturers. Experts believe there was enough of this drywall to build between 50,000-100,000 homes.

Some builders who used the imported drywall have addressed the issue by removing it from affected homes and replacing it with new drywall. However, many other homeowners with reported problems have had no resolution. The majority of known affected homes appear to be in South Florida, but homes in several other states could be at risk.

Studies are still being done to determine possible health issues, but many homeowners are concerned about the potential effects of long-term exposure to the drywall.

Tips to determine if your home has Chinese-made drywall:

1.) Your home was built between 2004-06: There was a shortage of drywall during this period, so more than 500 million pounds was shipped in from China.

2.) Your home has a foul smell: Homeowners with Chinese-made drywall complain of a strong odor of sulfur, or what smells like rotten eggs.

3.) You notice metal and copper corroding: Chinese drywall is reported to corrode metal and copper, notably air-conditioning coils and electrical wiring, with a black coating.

4.) You identify your drywall as made in China: Some affected drywall will state it is made in China. Other Chinese drywall bears the mark of manufacturers, including Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin, Knauf Gips, and Taishan Gypsum Co.

5.) Lennar Corp., Aubuchon Homes, Meritage Homes, Ryland Homes, Standard Pacific Homes, Taylor Morrison and WCI Communities are all builders confirmed to have used drywall imported from China.

The defective Chinese drywall  has been making news for months now, with homeowners plagued by sulfur fumes that smell like ?rotten eggs? and cause air conditioning coils to corrode. Residents complain of sinus and respiratory ailments, eye and skin irritation, persistent runny or bloody noses, headaches, and asthma. Some situations were so severe that residents had to vacate their homes. In some cases, victims have been harassed by builders into signing unfair, one-side remediation agreements. The issues surrounding defective Chinese drywall are confusing and worrisome.

Why Should I Get a Prelisting Home Inspection?

home inspection done before you list your home for sale, you can identify problems early. This allows you to make any necessary repairs on your own terms. Or you may decide to just disclose certain items as-is. Having this information in hand early on in the process will assure that the first offer you accept will move quickly and smoothly to closing without delays or costly surprises.

By having a

You will get the highest price in the shortest time if your home is in top condition. A pre-listing inspection will allow you to make needed repairs ahead of time so they won?t end up on the buyer?s home inspection report.

Almost all sales contracts include a contingency called the Option Period. During the Option Period the buyers will usually hire their own professional home inspector. If the buyer?s inspector finds a problem, it can cause the buyer to get cold feet and the deal can often fall through. At best, surprise problems uncovered by the buyer?s inspector can cause delays in closing, and often you will have to pay for repairs at the last minute, or take a lower price on your home.

One of the key benefits of having the inspection done early is that if there are any problems discovered that need to be repaired, you can have the repairs done on your own terms, on your own schedule. When a problem is not found until the buyer has an inspection performed, the deal you have worked so hard to get done may fall apart unless you act quickly to get the repairs done. Or you may have to take a lower price, in order to keep the deal moving. In either case, you?ll almost certainly have more headache, and spend more money, than if you?d known about the problem and had it repaired before negotiations began.

You could save thousands by simply being able to shop around and get competitive bids from contractors, rather than being forced into paying for a rush job at the last minute. Another area where you can save money is in having flexibility to choose the materials used in repairs. Sales contracts usually specify repairs must be made using materials of comparable quality. By identifying needed repairs early, you?ll have the option to save money by using less expensive materials for the repairs.

You can also benefit by simply disclosing certain items and offering them as is. Often, you can negotiate with a buyer to accept items in the current condition by stipulating that they are reflected in the purchase price. This way there will not be any surprises and the deal is far less likely to fall apart. It takes a lot of effort to get a sales agreement signed in the first place. If the inspection turns up problems, the buyer may want to negotiate a new deal and that second sales agreement is usually even harder to get done than the first one.