This is a great time in America as our government encourages buying
homes with a bonus of $8K.  Tempting offer by all means and the
ability to buy a home versus living in an apartment and paying rent. A
couple of things one must be aware of when buying a brand new home
from a builder.  They will sell, sell, sell on why you should buy a
home from them.  They will throw incentives in and low financing
rates.  The catch, the new buyer must sign two documents:
1)      That you agree to binding arbitration if you find that your
home is defectively built.  This takes away your right to sue the
builder for a defective new home.
2)      That you agree to hold the builder NOT LIABLE if toxic mold
develops in the home.

These are huge red flags for any buyer.  The builder is taking away
your right to sue for a defectively built home, and when they include
the toxic mold clause, do not agree to sign either.  If the builder is
confident in the structure they will not have a problem removing these
two pieces of paper.  Thus, when you get a copy of the closing
documentation prior to buying your new home ensure that those
documents are not contained within as builders have been known to slip
these back into the closing paperwork without your knowledge.  If you
are using a realtor, make it very clear to them, that you will NOT
sign either of these two documents and that you are relying on the
realtor to ensure that these documents are not in your closing
paperwork.  It is unfortunate for anybody to be backed in a corner
when buying a new home.  If you decide to buy a pre-existing home
check anywhere there is plumbing in the house i.e. the bathrooms,
kitchen, laundry room and around hot water heaters.  If you see stains
or warped cabinet bottoms under your sinks then that is a sign of
water intrusion.  Also, if
there is a basement check to see how musty it smells as it could very
well have had water leakage.  Also, if you have any walk-in attic
space inspect the insulation between the beams.  I have found many a
new home with mold growing on the insulation.  Stachybotrus  and
penicillium only take 48 hours or less to grow and both are very
dangerous toxic mold with the former being deadly.  I guarantee that
no homeowner today will disclose if they have had water issues with
their home as they know it will not sell.  That is called non-
disclosure and is a violation of the law.  You can sue for non-
disclosure.
Do not let a realtor push you into buying a home with potential for
the sake of a sale.  Realtors more and more are not asking the right
questions of the seller or the seller’s representative as they don’t
think about such issues.  Toxic mold survivors do.  I am a walking
Geiger counter and can walk into a house or building and tell you if
it has mold.  Sometimes it’s as simple as the air vents being kept
very clean so as not to cross contaminate your Make that part of the
purchase agreement as it is a buyer’s market for new homes.  Having
survived toxic mold in my former dream home, which was built by David
Weekly, who inspected my home after we abandoned yet would not take
ownership for the defects.   By doing research I found that Weekly
homes are referred to as Leaky Weekly all over the US.  In my case,
the drain pipe from an upstairs bathroom was never sealed, and
the wall was closed anyway.  How could an inspector miss this???  The
builders throw the walls up so that they cannot see it.  However, the
sellers, my son’s orthodontist knew the house had a problem as the
white washed wood floors were turning black and blue.  Even though
they replaced the floors they continued to discolor.
In 1998, toxic mold was not much talked about; however in 2001 when we
abandoned it was becoming a very large issue here in the States.
Protect your family and your investment.  Use the best inspector you
can find and walk the house with them.  Ensure they look at any areas
that have plumbing.  If the ceilings look like they have been repaired
find out why and what was done to correct the leakage.  Mold can live
in your walls for forever.  When it becomes deadly is when it begins
to show on your walls which is very common in bathrooms in houses and
apartments.
Please visit our website: www.epa.gov; www.cdc.gov and OSHA.gov for
further information on toxic mold.

I won’t name these builders here; however if you notice a builder that
builds on a national basis using different
names in different states then that is a huge red flag.  Builders have
been kicked out of cities and states for deficient building.  Don’t
get so anxious to buy a home without researching it first.  My home
was five years old when we purchased it.  We made it 32 months and
were forced to abandon.  My son and I have a laundry list of
health problems.  Luckily, he outgrew many of his health issues;
however I  have been chronically ill for 11 years now and believe me
it’s no fun as there is very little treatment and no cures for toxic
mold related disease.  Mayo Clinic refers to toxic mold related
illnesses as mycotic disease.  I trust that this will help any readers
to buy carefully and wisely.

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