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Why Is Testing Recommended For Houses Built Before 1978? Federal regulations placed a limit on the amount of lead in paint sold for residential use starting in 1978. That is why homes built before 1978 are subject to the Disclosure Rule. The older the home, the greater the chance of lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards, and the more important it is to have the home tested.

What Kind Of Testing Do I Want? Three different approaches for testing lead are available: a lead-based paint inspection, a risk assessment, and a lead hazard screen. A combination inspection and risk assessment may also be done. Selection of the approach depends on why you are testing.

• I. Lead-Based Paint Inspection. A lead-based paint inspection is a surface-by-surface investigation to determine whether there is lead-based paint in the home and where it is located. An inspection may be particularly useful before renovation, repainting, or paint removal. An inspection includes:

• An inventory of all painted surfaces, including the outside as well as the inside of the home. 'Painted surfaces include all surfaces coated with paint, shellac, varnish, stain, coating, or even paint covered by wallpaper.

• Selection and testing of each type of painted surface.

• Then you should get a report listing the painted surfaces in the home and whether each painted surface contains lead-based paint.

• An inspection does not typically test painted furniture unless it is a permanent part of the home, such as kitchen or bathroom cabinets or built-in bookshelves. Soil, dust, and water are not typically tested during an inspection.

• The presence of lead-based paint in a home does not necessarily mean there is a lead-based paint hazard to occupants. To make sure, you may want a different testing approach (either a risk assessment or hazard screen).

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  1380 - Ever wondered what the Canadian government does with real estate it no longer needs? You may be surprised to learn that the same federal government that washed its hands of social housing a while back had reactivated an agency that is now putting some surplus federal land into housing. One of Toronto’s most innovative affordable housing initiatives sits on a piece of this surplus land. The 3.8 acre site at 650 Lawrence Avenue West, Toronto, was formerly the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, before this real estate was purchased by the federal Crown agency, Canada Lands Company CLC Limited, and made available to Options for Homes. Since its reactivation in 1995, CLC has distributed approximately $266 million to its sole shareholder, the Government of Canada, largely in a combination of dividends, note repayments and cash acquisitions. The company buys federal lands, at market value, that are no longer required by Government of Canada departments, other Crown corporations and government agencies. CLC undertakes to increase the land's “financial and community value” and marketability before preparing it for sale. Read this Nemmar Real Estate Training article at Real Estate - International

   

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