5 Signs Your Listing May Have Once Been a Meth Lab
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey
The New York Times ran an article this week (”Illnesses Afflict Homes With a Criminal Past” by Shaila Dewan and Robbie Brown) that details a story about a family who moved into a spacious home in Winchester, Tenn., only to soon start battling years of illness — from breathing problems to seizures and migraines to kidney problems.
Their home was making them sick.
Five years after moving into the home, the family discovered the home had once been used as a meth lab.
And apparently these contaminated residences are not all that uncommon. What’s more, some may even be hitting your local market.
“Federal statistics show that the number of clandestine meth labs discovered in the United States rose by 14 percent last year, to 6,783, and has continued to increase,” the New York Times reports.
View a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration map of meth lab incidents by state to see how prevalent it is in your area: http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/concern/map_lab_seizures.html
Chemist Lynn Riemer Of The North Metro Drug Task Force provides the following list of signs a meth lab may have been present in a home:
1. Yellow discoloration on walls, drains, sinks and showers.
2. Blue discoloration on valves of propane tanks and fire extinguishers.
3. Fire detectors that are removed–or taped off.
4. Burning in your eyes, itchy throat, a metallic taste in your mouth, or breathing problems when in the home.
5. Strong odors that smell similar to materials often found in a garage, such as solvent and paint thinner, or odors of cat urine or ammonia.
About 20 states have passed laws that require meth contamination cleanup. Cleanup can be costly, though. The family described in The New York Times article would need $30,000 or more to get the necessary cleanup, and that amount doesn’t even take into account their medical bills from living in a contaminated house for so long.
Have you ever come across a house you suspected was once used as a meth lab?
yes, and the listing agents-who are “flippers” now owned the house and had brand new agents holding open house and the brand new agents had no idea the home was a Meth lab raided by the DEA.
I showed a home the other day that we are pretty sure is a meth lab. After showing the home both the Buyer and I were highly concerned. We looked up information on the internet to determine if what we suspected was indeed true. What we found was that there are several factors that can help a Buyer or agent distinquish if the home is being used as a lab or has been in the past. So hopefully you will find what we learned useful.
Let me say first, this home was immaculate and out of the 45 homes we looked at it was in the top 10. So agents and buyers should be aware that all possilbe meth labs don’t always present badly, but you should be aware of what to look for.
Here is what we experienced.
Upon entering the house. We smelled an extremely strong smell, like a chemical. Except it was a really, really strong smell. It was not a smell that we had smelled before, but was almost unbearable. If the home hadn’t been in such good order, we would have left immediately. We couldn’t seem to get away from the smell, it was throughout the majority of the home. After leaving the home and prior to discusing the situation, both Buyer and I felt disoriented. The smell is one of the tell tale signs noted in articles we read.
The Sellers were present at the showing and didn’t inform us that they would be. This isn’t unusual, but in our situation a women was sitting beside her computer guarding a door to a closet with several large locks on it. (There was know way we were looking at that closet). We discoverd from articles on the internet, that these are two signs of meth labs.
There was also a large watch dog. This was noted in the mls. We were not suppose to enter if the dog was there. This is also a sign.
Another thing we thought was odd was the living room was set up with a folding table and chairs and no other funiture., As if the two front rooms. the office and the living room were being used for “other” purposes.
We didnt discover anything else, but were trying to get out of there as quick as possible.
If it hadn’t been for the fact that I had shown 30 homes that were short sales and were badly in need of repairs. I would have never even bothered to step foot into this house because of the smell. Again the smell is the tell tale sign. However, this house presented wonderfully with the exception of the odd things I described above.
I reported this experience to the listing agent with no response.
If I ever smell that smell in a home again, I will not enter it and adivse my client not to. I was so glad my buyer didn’t have her 3 month old baby with her. What if she insisted on taking the baby in!
Five additional clues:
Doors busted in.
Bullet holes.
Owner unavailable for five to ten years.
Roof is missing (from the explosion.) Beware of listings that advertise lots of sunlight.
A guy named “Fluffee” makes Youtube videos about the property.
Good advise unfortunately in Utah we have a law that if the home is mitigated you do not have to disclose any meth activity. That is unless you ask the seller in a addendum specifically to disclose and knkowledge or reports on Meth. Our Real Estate disclosure actually state clearly excluding meth.
When it comes to meth, it must be disclosed unless it’s been properly cleaned up, said Ryan Kirkham, president of the Salt Lake Board of Realtors.
Utah is a weird place for buyers rights.
salt lake homes for sale
I have been concerned about meth activity homes in the past. I consulted with law enforcement and an environmental services company. It is possible to test for meth for a reasonable cost. It would be well worth it to spare a client years of illness and expensive remediation.
We should also, be aware of homes that Seller’s smoke marijana just before a showing, I couldn’t believe it that the owner requested that if anyone was to preview his property, he had to be present, we got their 20 minutes late of the scheduled time, and to make a long story short the owner tried everythiing he could to deviate our seeing the house, when my buyers just wanted to take a quick look, the smell in that house was so overbearing of controled substance, I felt so bad for my clients,who had a 6 year old boy and a 16 year old teenager, and reported it to the listing agent, that he needed to think hard in what he was going to do because this isn’t to be taken lightly, he thanked me and said he new his friend didn’t want to sell the house but had to b/c he was going through a bad divorce, he was lying and sending people away people away, without him knowing it. We must be careful of Seller such as this. for real
Spot on. FYI: Mobile and manufactured homes on private land, especially in rural Southern California areas i.e. Anza, Borrego, around Barstow and the deserts throughout Riverside and San Bernardino Counties are very suspect to meth labs.
There are several misleading things converyed about the meth issue that I would like to help clear up. First, people are way too focused on whether a residence was a “meth lab” as opposed to “contaminated with meth” from any source including smoking. For every place where a meth lab is found, there are around 100 places where meth is present, mostly from meth use alone. Thus, 99% of the problem is “lab-less.” While there is no reason to think a meth lab is worse than meth alone, the bad news is there is no reason to assume that is meth alone is present it isnt a problem. Thus, our focus on identifying labs is misplaced, as we are thus looking for 1% of the problem and missing 99% of it. As an environmental scientist who tests houses for meth, last year 75% of the foreclosures I tested had meth, 95% of the rentals, and even 25% of owner occupied residences had it. Another myth is that spray starch or field swabs will tell you something. Spray starch will not see the 99% of the meth properties, and I saw four field swabs last year say “no meth” where meth was way above the allowable level. Only a formal test will tell you if there is a problem.
doug wolfe. that was awsome but you hit the nail on the head. if you are in one you know it. really, you will.
These are all great problems So, What is the solution? Run, leave it for the next sucker, turn it over to authorites? Has anyone actually dealt with purchase and clean-up?
Can you offer advice to newbies?
Sign Number 6: Sparky- Your 12 year old Chiwawa is suddenly able to run the quarter mile in 10 seconds flat.
If you think the house might be a meth house you can simply spray laundry starch on a wall. The color change will be evident as the presence of past meth use or cooking.
Jeff Johnson will you please elaborate. I have a rental property that was recently abandoned by the tenants and is rumored to have been a meth lab. After incurring ALOT of damage to the property, I hesitate to begin clean-up and renovations until I am able to rule this out. Therefore, can you tell me what color does the starch turn once it has made contact with the applicable contaiminents? Please advise
Excellent site, keep up the good work
As a decontamination specialist could I give some advice. PLEASE get these homes tested . Testing is not expensive . Testing pricing ranges from 150.00 to 500.00 depending on the owner or seller.This is a serious problem with cronic health effects.
Be sure that the testing is done by one who is certified, not a home inspector. This need’s to be a decontamination specialist or equivelant in certification. Alot is riding on testing and the report that follows, don’t sell out non certification . We test in all western states.435-531-1830