Why Disclosure Forms?

Why does it matter ?

Generally, when people buy houses, they can see the colors, the fixtures, the layout, the room size and other important features. Then during the escrow process people have contractors check plumbing, electrical, roof, and other important features. What is notably missing is toxic residue.

A buyer should want to know what toxic residue remains on a property or what toxic residue is likely to arise.

The SaferRemodel™ environmental disclosure forms help buyers to understand more about their purchase.

Does if affect the price ?

Perhaps.

If a non smoker walked into a house which smelled of smoke and a similar house with no such residue, then surely the smoke free house would be more valuable. Smoke residue would come up in a SaferRemodel™ environmental disclosure.

If in two identical properties, somebody sprayed pesticides every time they saw ants; and in the second property, the homeowner took the time to caulk (with a non toxic caulk) or perhaps use boric acid, then it is likely that the latter property would have less toxic residue and one would expect increased value IF the buyers knew that fewer toxics had been used.

By using the SaferRemodel™ environmental disclosure forms and signs, sellers have an easy way to disclose the lack of toxic residue and therefore, have the potential to increase property values.

Why not simply "just tell them" ?

Environmental residues are complicated. Even with the hundred or so questions in the SaferRemodel™ forms, there are still hundreds more, such as a house with an attached garage may have more fumes entering the house than a detached garage (of course there are other advantages of having an attached garage).

Does it matter if buyers don't care about toxic residue ?

Perhaps. A buyer can't tell if a floor is veneer, engineered, or solid. By filling out the floor, then they know. Even if they don't care at the time or purchase, they will likely care when they need to refinish the floor ten years down the road.