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Meth Home Nightmare - Summit County Ohio

This is a follow-up to my original post, Meth Home Nightmare. The complete story as printed in the Akron Beacon Journal can be read at, Akron Beacon Journal - Meth Home Nightmare.

This story gives you an idea of the problems that a buyer may encounter if purchasing a former Meth Home. The chemical residue that is left behind can effect young children in a very serious way, but also adults.

A couple of very informative sites that I have found for testing, testmyhomeformeth.com and MAPP-SD Home, have a lot of very good information.

This drug addition effects all classes of society in this country. It does not discriminate at all, and seems to have hit the mid-west areas the worst.

I hope this information will help everyone to understand the seriousness of this national epidemic. I believe the effects of this on the existing housing market may get worse before it gets better.

Posted by David Holden DRH Home Inspection Akron, Ohio Summit on 03/25/2008 12:55 PM

Comments (22)

methamphetamine, meth home, meth, national epidemic, home inspection, akron ohio, akron, summit county ohio, ohio

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22 Comments on Meth Home Nightmare - Summit County Ohio

MAR

2008

Good info, as from time to time I run accross a former meth house.

APR

2008

I run into more grow houses than I do meth houses. Fortunately for me! Thanks for bringing the issue to top of mind.

APR

2008

Erby, Thanks for the comment. Didn't TOP too many of those plants did you? LOL

APR

2008

I wrote a post last week about walking in to a client's rental home to find out it had been used as a meth lab and it is sad what it is going to cost him! He is considering selling all his rental properties now because of this one incident.

Thanks for stopping by. I stopped over and read your post. This drug is devastating our society and most haven't even seen it yet. I'm afraid the costs in the future in going to be enormous.

APR

2008

I think I would burn it before I tried to get the meth out if it is even possible.

APR

2008

Gene, Thank for the comment. Sometimes that is the cheapest approach, even if you go to jail for it.

David,

I'm a atlanta inspector looking for link partner,reply if interested.

APR

2008

Meth production and consumption is a much larger problem than most people realize. Realtors and Home Buyers need to be educated about the hazards.

Kelly, I couldn't agree more! A simple Google search reveals to tragedy and horrors of this drug. I am 45 yrs old and survived the 70's and everything it had to offer, but NOTHING compares to the damage and devastation meth has on people. Especially the children. You heard of crack babies, now we have meth babies.

APR

2008

The last time I ran across a meth house the police just asked if there were any dead bodies around.

APR

2008

Hi Dave,

I have never run across a meth home yet, hope I never do. Hey we still should get together for lunch or something, if we can set a time?

You should re-post this meth blog on the HIC, I'll bet not many of the guys have ever experienced it either. It would be a good heads up.

Talk to ya soon,

Kevin

MAY

2008

I was talking to another agent about this and decided to go in to the site that she saw and look to see if any of my previous REO listings were Meth houses. It took me a full 30 minutes to find. Not easy to locate at all.

As a home inspector, do you know when a house was used as a meth house when you do a home inspection? I mean for some houses it is obvious, but for those houses that are less obvious, how do you tell?

Hi Debra, It can be very difficult to detect a previous meth home sometimes. Especially if everything has been thoroughly cleaned and painted. You can first look for obvious signs, but mostly odors and very foul looking and smelling residues under kitchen cabinets, exhaust hood and on the walls and ceiling as well as strange items and contraptions on the property.

A simple swab test can be purchased to use if you suspect chemicals present.

Check this link out for Field test kits as well as the information on the web page.

I am still researching this problem myself. I haven't ordered any test kits myself yet, but I think that I will soon just to have them available just in case I suspect a house that I am inspecting.

Thanks for stopping by and commenting. If I can be of any help or service to you and your clients, please feel free to give me a call. I'd love to meet with you at your office sometime and leave you with some of my brochures.

BTW, do you see things picking up in this area yet? I'm hoping for a strong summer season with a lot of home sales!

MAY

2008

I've learned a few things about meth testing and there are some things people need to be careful of. I'm a property manager in Utah and I've talked extensively with my attorney about Meth. One major pit fall people get stuck in all the time is if you have a need to get a place inspected make sure you tell the inspecting company that you don't expect them to find anything wrong and if they do you will not be hiring them to clean it up. You will only pay them for the inspection. Inspectors have been known to report their "negative findings" to the state immediately. That way the state is on your back to get it cleaned up and the inspector is standing there ready to clean it up for a very hefty fee. You will also find that they will be more honest in their reports if they know they will not be hired for the job of cleaning it up. - They have a very hard time being honest if they think they will get clean up work out of it.

The other problem is there is no science involved when the different states determine what is and is not safe levels of Meth. Each state is different and nobody even knows at what point Meth contamination is dangerous. In Utah the rules are so ridiculous that if someone had sat on a couch where meth had been smoked, then they got up and came over to your house and sat on your couch you would probably fail a meth test and your place would need to be decontaminated. It is a little ridiculous, I think at those levels we have all been exposed to Meth and when we are talking $6-$10 thousand to decontaminate a place the states need to be sure it is necessary before requiring it of someone.

If you'd like to ask me questions or contact me please do. My website is www.stonebridgerealestate.net.

Jeff Stinson

Property Manager

MAY

2008

Hey Jeff, thanks for your comments - I believe until we have a national standard of what is an acceptable level, or unacceptable level, we can be testing until the cows come home and reporting a level for example of 10 parts per million (or whatever the untis of measure) and that may be safe, or it may not be safe. I'm a home inspector here in Utah and I have been asked do I do Meth testing and yes I do, but I still have questions as to what is a safe and unsafe level . . . I do not, repeat do not do any decontamination/cleanup . . . I would recommend the same as you, if an inspector test for Meth, he needs to know he will not be hired to do decontamination cleanup, I would also ask, what is his response if a test comes back positive, is he obligated to report his findings? and to who? I would ask what are his standards of practice, etc.

MAY

2008

Crazy stuff. I just posted some information about meth on my blog. You might find it useful.

Jeff Stinson

Property Manager

www.stonebridgerealestate.net

JUN

2008

I have never run across a meth house that I know of. As I don't have any experience with this, how do you know if it was a meth house? I know the residue is terrible for your health, so can you get it out?

AUG

2008

Hi David, I just read your post on meth labs. Thank you for the resources. I have bookmarked them and will look over the information. We do see a lot of homes that have been meth labs all over the state and it's prudent to check the locations of these homes when listing and/or representing a buyer in a transaction. The consumer has a right to know and as an agent it's my obligation to not only check those addresses out for them but also give them the resource to check as well. Of equal concern would be any labs within the general area of a home. A former meth lab certainly would be an indication of drug activity in any given area.

DEC

When I read about meth labs inspections I always think about needles laying around. What type of extra-protective equipment to you wear?

JAN

Hello Everyone,

This is a very intereating topic! It should be because this is what I do! I do meth residue inspections in homes, apartments, motels, cars, etc. Your questions are viable and have much merit...in fact these are questions which I hear every day!

I have found it very difficult to break into YOUR business! For some reason, my advertising in the Home Inspection realm has fallen onto deaf ears...I have been a HazMat Technician/Specialist for almost 20 years on an active HazMat team for a major city in Ohio. I have been testing for Meth and meth labs for about one year and teach awareness all over the Eastern U.S.

Most of all of your assumptions are correct, except there has been an accepted contamination level of meth (for the home), but it hasn't been broadcasted to the masses...very odd. It is correct that some states do have limits, actually 14, but others are hesitant due to liabilities...there are many, many issues associated with this topic.

If you would like more information about my company, please log onto my site at www.hazmatandmore.com. If you have any questions, please call or e-mail me. Unfortunately, the chemicals associated with this plague are extremely harmful and if you don't know what you are doing, they can be deadly...

Hope to hear from you!

Roy Wilkinson, safety elements, Akron Ohio

JAN

Hi David - Good information in both articles. I saw the ABJ article and found myself wondering if the agent that sold that home had checked the meth lab list that is posted by the Summit County Sheriff's office and, if they had, was it listed as a known meth lab. This is a problem that is not confined to "run down" areas. I found one about a quarter mile from my own home. The house did sell and was demolished by the new owner.

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