Aprilaire Center for Indoor Air
Comfort director Sean McCarthy urges homebuyers to
ask questions about a property's indoor air quality
and inquire about any problems with mold, carbon
monoxide, and stale or polluted air before making a
purchase. A recent survey by the center found that a
third of all buyers claim they did not get enough
information about their home's heating and cooling
systems and other indoor comfort issues prior to
buying it.
McCarthy says buyers should
hire a professional home inspector to determine if
gas appliances are properly exhausted, as
potentially deadly carbon monoxide may be present if
they are not. Buyers also should look into whether a
new home has adequate ventilation to allow it to
"breathe" and whether the furnace and central air
conditioning units have been properly cleaned and
maintained. Another important question centers
around whether there has been any standing water or
flooding that could foster mold growth.
Finally, house-shoppers will
want to know if the sellers had pets. Knowing about
any potential allergens that may still be lingering
is important to the buyer's future indoor air
comfort.
"Key Questions Allow Home
Buyers to Breathe Easier," PRNewswire (06/20/02)
