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DEA Meth Lab Registry for homes that were used a meth labs, did you know?

By Gary White~Grand Rapids Home Selling Pro Call: 616-821-9375

Managing Real Estate Broker with Flexit Realty "Flexible Home Selling Solutions"

August 16, 2008 02:21 AM

A sign of the times. When we have to publish a registry of where the former drug houses have been. Well there is a very good reason for this. It is toxic and can cause brain damage to young children and severe health problems for adults.

The registry is not used by all cities which makes it less useful than if it was mandatory. The other dea problem with registry...how do you get a home removed from the registry once a home is cleaned up or repaired? There is no provision for removal from the registry as of this posting.

So the obvious issue is being on the registry could certainly lower the value of the homes around the Meth home and could long term affect the value of a repaired Meth home.

meth lab One of the problems with buying a Meth house is the insulation is affected in most cases as well. You may not be able to see the problems with a visual inspection. Go to the link I have provided and take a look at the issues created by these intrusions into communities causes by the people that prey on our society with lethal drugs.

www.usdoj.gov/dea/seizures/index.html this link takes you to the registry or you can go to www.usdoj.gov/dea for basic information and updates on meth houses and those that were caught.

This web site registry was created in December 2006 as a National Registry by city. Not all cities participate but some cities will take you literally hours to cruise through to see if the home you want to buy or show is on the registry.

Checking the registry is not a sure fire way to find out the facts...always chat with the neighbors...they will know too!

I hope this helps you in your quest to find a great "safe" home of your dreams for you and your family.

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Debbie Malone

Londeree's Real Estate & Property Management - Lynchburg, VA

From Lynchburg To The Lake (434) 546-0369

Gary, thanks for the heads up. We haven't had a large problem with meth as yet, but we certainly should be aware of what's coming. Thanks for sharing the information and the site.

Aug 16, 2008 02:54 AM

Nancy Birge

Coldwell Banker - Old Lyme, CT

Waterfront Specialist

Gary, Your information on this issue was excellent.

Aug 16, 2008 03:01 AM

Rick Maday

Schaumburg, IL

Schaumburg Home Inspector -

Gary, great info. I'll be sure to pass it along to my clients.

Sindee, IMO if you know, it needs to be disclosed.

Aug 16, 2008 03:02 AM

Randall Schrader

Competitive Insurance of Dundee - Dundee, FL

Of course you need to disclose this if you know, but is it your responsibility to go to the web-site and check every home out? I mean, how much digging is enough? It could take a week to research the entire history of a peice of property. Where do you draw the line? How much digging is enough?

Aug 16, 2008 03:08 AM

Kim Peasley-Parker

AgentOwned Realty, Heritage Group, Inc. - Sumter, SC

Gary- On one hand it sounds like a great tool, but you are right, what if the home has been cleared of toxins? You make some good points, especially about talking to the neighbors.

Aug 16, 2008 04:55 AM

Michael Ivie

Ivco Inspection Service serving all of Habersham county - Cornelia, GA

CPI

"GARY IS THERE A REQUIREMENT THAT THIS INFORMATION BE DISCLOSED TO ANY NEW POTENTIAL BUYERS ??????????????????"

08/16/2008 09:28 AM

by Sindee Thomson (SacramentoGrapevine)

HELLO!!!!!!!

"there is a very good reason for this. It is toxic and can cause brain damage to young children and severe health problems for adults."

Aug 16, 2008 05:04 AM

Anonymous

methlabhomes.com

My son bought a home in TN that was used as a meth lab in 2004. No one ever told him before he bought the home and no one was liable for it because no laws were in place requiring any agency to disclose that to him. He found out about the home's history from neighbors in 2007, after he lived in the home with his wife and young sons. It cost him thousands of dollars to get the home decontaminated. His home owner's insurance was cancelled too, when they discovered his home's history. He finally sold the home this year, after receiving a certificate of cleanliness from the state of TN. Unlike my son, the buyers of his home had the advantage of knowing the home's history. They also had the advantage of buying a home that is toxin free.

If you want to find out if a home has been previously used as a meth lab, my recommendation is don't rely solely on the DEA clandestine meth lab registry for information. It is not a complete list. My recommendation is to call the local police department and the local health department to find out if the home was ever used as a meth lab. Check the disclosure regulations in your state about meth lab homes. Don't assume that your state requires a seller to disclose that and don't assume all sellers will disclose that either. Also, know that banks can sell foreclosure homes without having to disclose that information. They are not held to the same standards as private sellers.

I have started a web site www.methlabhomes.com to educate others about meth lab homes because of my son's experience of buying a foreclosed home in TN in 2004. Since 1999, there have been over 100,000 meth lab busts in the U.S. according to DEA statistics. However, I've seen estimates that there may be as many as 1 million meth lab homes in the U.S.

I would love to hear more about meth lab concerns from the prospective of realtors. You can email me at methlabhomes@gmail.com

Thank you for bringing up this important topic! The more others know about the dangers of meth labs, the safer we will all be!

Aug 16, 2008 06:07 AM

#16

Billy Boerner

STLhomeinspector.com - Saint Louis, MO

Home Inspector

Sindee,

Please tell me your not serious about your question.

Methlabhomes,

I'm sorry for your son's loss. Thank you for sharing that story with us. According to stat's I have read clean cost can range from 10K-100k. Sometimes a home has to be completely destroyed. Sindee, would you be able to sleep at night knowing your website help sell a house that was a past meth lab? Just like Mike stated as well would you feel bad if a buyers child developed brain damage or they parent became ill and couldn't work anymore just because you wanted to make some money by advertising a meth lab home on your site?

Still in the early stages, however, a few HI's are now starting to offer testing of narcotics during a home inspection. If you would like to learn more please visit this link...

http://activerain.com/blogsview/644179/Meth-Lab-Problem-Introducing

Aug 16, 2008 04:46 PM