You’ve found the perfect older home on the market. And the best part is the sellers accepted your offer. Now all you have to do is get it inspected to make sure nothing’s wrong with it.
But did you remember to get an asbestos test? What is asbestos? How much does asbestos testing cost?
These are the questions that you might ask yourself when purchasing an older home. Asbestos is a material that contractors used a lot for insulation in older homes. The only problem is that it causes high rates of cancer.
So how much does an asbestos home inspection cost? Read on to find out!
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House Size
The problem with asbestos is that it eventually flakes off into small particles that people accidentally breathe in. This is when there’s a risk of developing certain types of cancer. But materials aren’t all going to age at the same rate.
This means that just because it’s not lacking off in one area, that doesn’t mean it won’t be in another. And in older homes, you want to be extra sure that asbestos isn’t going to be an issue. For this reason, it’s important to do multiple tests throughout a house.
A thorough test is important to protecting the health of your home and your family. So you want to take samples from multiple areas throughout your home. This is the only way to be sure asbestos won’t be an issue for you.
This also means that the bigger your house, the more tests the inspector will need to do. It means that your inspector will need to take more time to collect samples from your home. This is going to add to both your labor and material costs.
In other words, the larger your home, the more expensive your tests are going to be. This is one reason why a test can cost as low as $200 or as high as $800. If you have a large house, then expect your asbestos inspection cost to be at the higher end of that scale.
If your house is small, then you can probably expect it to be on the lower end of that scale.
Accessibility
The next thing that’s going to affect asbestos inspection prices is how easy certain areas of your home are to access. The inspector is probably going to want to go into multiple areas around your house. This includes certain rooms and sometimes the attic.
They do this to identify areas that may be at a higher risk of exposure to asbestos than others. This helps them identify areas to get samples from. It also gives you an idea of how likely it is that you might have a problem.
They’ll constantly be looking for any signs of asbestos as they go about their inspection. This will be good knowledge to have to prepare yourself for the results of your test.
The question is how easy is it to inspect your attic? Is it walkable or do you have to crawl through it? This is going to determine the accessibility of your home.
The easier it is for your inspector to do their job, the lower the labor cost will be for you. This is because the inspector can get out and move on to their next inspection quicker if they can get in and out of your house fast. This is also another reason why asbestos tests for larger houses cost more.
You may also have additional issues that you can’t resolve if there are areas in your home that your inspector can’t reach. It could mean that there is asbestos in your home that’s going completely unnoticed. Expect these more complicated houses to be on the higher end of the price scale.
Type of Test Used
The next thing that is going to affect asbestos inspection prices is the type of test that’s used. There are a few different types that are commonly used for this purpose. Each one of these is going to have its own processes and costs associated with them.
Air Test
The most common type of asbestos test is an air test. This is also one of the easiest types to perform. This is generally recommended if your inspector finds any damaged materials that contain asbestos during their inspection.
This test will take a sample from the air. If there are any particles of asbestos in the air, this test will detect them. Remember, the biggest problems with asbestos happen when someone inhales or ingests it.
So if there is a potential that these materials could cause a problem for your family, then it’s best to know about it as soon as possible. That’s why the air test is so important. It will let you know if there’s a problem in the air with asbestos so that you can take care of it quickly.
The air samples should be from multiple areas inside the house to ensure there are no issues. This is why these tests can cost between $200 to $800. The average cost, however, is $500 for a normal-sized home.
This is sometimes on top of the additional cost for the general asbestos inspection. If this is the case you could end up paying twice that for an asbestos inspection. Again, this is going to depend on the size of your home and the complexity of the job.
Water Test
The next type of test that might be performed at your home is a water test.
In some cases, asbestos was used in piping materials in older homes. The problem is that these pipes can corrode and expose your water system to asbestos in the process. This can easily lead to you and your family ingesting dangerous amounts of the material.
Fortunately, such piping material is what an asbestos home inspector will look for while they’re at your house. If they have reason to believe that your home has these materials, then they’ll probably perform a water test while they’re there. This will examine the water in your home for the same small particles that you might find in the air.
This test is easier to use, so it costs a little bit less than the air test does. This is generally going to cost between $100 to $300.
Again, this is sometimes going to be in addition to the cost of the general asbestos inspection. But considering how many homes were built with this material, it’s important to make sure it won’t be a problem before you move into an older home.
This water test is just one of the many ways an asbestos inspection can keep your family safe.
Other Testing
Other, more complicated tests can be done when there are concerns about asbestos too. Some inspectors may want to subflooring or wall insulation. The price of such tests is going to vary greatly depending on how complicated they are.
Then there’s a type of test called a Type 3 asbestos test. This will be done if asbestos is found inside the home. Its purpose is to create a plan for asbestos removal.
Once the asbestos treatment has been completed, then your home should be safe again. This type of test and treatment costs an average of $1,200.
Are You Able to Bundle?
The last thing that can affect the cost of your asbestos test is by bundling it if you can. This can be done if your general home inspector can also do asbestos tests. Some home inspectors will be able to save you some money if you do this.
The reason it’s cheaper to do this way is that you’re killing two birds with one stone when you do this. You don’t need two separate people to do different inspections on your home anymore. The inspector was already there to check out your house anyway, so it’s easy for them to check for asbestos while they’re there.
This means that it also saves you time. You no longer have to make two separate appointments. You don’t have to make sure that you’re home for both appointments anymore either.
Instead, you can get it all done at the same time that your regular home inspector will be there. So if your home inspector offers asbestos testing, then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t go ahead and do it.
You can save an average of around $200 by doing this. The average cost to add an asbestos inspection to your home inspection is $330. This is compared to the national average of $500.
How Much Does Asbestos Testing Cost?
So how much does asbestos testing cost? This is going to depend on certain things about your home and whether or not asbestos needs to be removed.
It can range from $90 to $2,000, but most people will pay between $200 and $800. The national average comes in at around $500.
All of this is necessary if you want to sell an older home. And when you’re ready to do that, iBuyer is here to help you. We’ll provide you with a free, no-obligation cash offer on your home when you give us your address.
Get a free home valuation with us today and see what we can do for you.
