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Will Chinese Drywall Be Added To All Contracts?

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with RE/MAX Property Specialists RS294217 / RM423788

I'm sure when radon and lead based paint was added to contracts everyone said what next?

Chinese Drywall is my guess at what is next.

They say thousands of homeowners nationwide who bought new houses constructed from the defective building materials are finding their hopes dashed, their lives in limbo. And experts warn that cases like the Ivorys', in which insurers drop policies or send notices of non-renewal based on the presence of Chinese drywall, will become rampant as insurance companies process the hundreds of claims currently in the pipeline.

At least three insurers have already canceled or refused to renew policies after homeowners sought their help replacing the bad wallboard.

This is like the small wave that's out on the horizon that's going to continue to grow and grow until it becomes a tsunami.

During the height of the U.S. housing boom, with building materials in short supply, American construction companies turned to Chinese-made drywall because it was abundant and cheap. An Associated Press analysis of shipping records found that more than 500 million pounds of Chinese gypsum board was imported between 2004 and 2008.

The defective materials have been found by state and federal agencies to emit volatile sulfur compounds, and contain traces of strontium sulfide, which can produce a rotten-egg odor, along with organic compounds not found in American-made drywall. Homeowners complain the fumes are corroding copper pipes, destroying TVs and air conditioners, and blackening jewelry and silverware. Some believe the wallboard is also making them ill.

  

Charles Stallions
Charles Stallions Real Estate Services - Pensacola, FL
850-476-4494 - Pensacola, Pace or Gulf Breeze, Fl.

Already has been added here in Florida so I guess you would be right. I am suprise fried food hasn't been added. We have too much paper work and the truth is you can explain all day and it is forgotten before they even walk out of the office.

Oct 15, 2009 11:37 PM
Pat O'Reilly
RE/MAX..214-289-6176 Irving and all of Dallas Fort Worth - Irving, TX

Oh boy...something else for the buyer to stress out about...whats the solution..re do the whole house??

Oct 16, 2009 12:03 AM
John Mulkey
TheHousingGuru.com - Waleska, GA
Housing Guru

I feel for the homeowners and contractors who used the stuff. There was no way to foresee this problem, and it will be with us for years to come--keeping homeowners nervous and making lawyers wealthy.

Oct 16, 2009 12:31 AM
Michael Setunsky
Woodbridge, VA
Your Commercial Real Estate Link to Northern VA

Jeff and Heather I don't know if it will be added to contracts, but it is probably something that should be disclosed to potential buyers.

Oct 16, 2009 01:18 AM