It's become a growing epidemic across the United States; houses formerly used as meth labs being sold with no disclosure to the buyer. The toxins left behind in these homes can cause illness and, if left untreated, death. And there are often no regulations about disclosing the information to the buyer.

Cleanup of meth-infected homes can cost anywhere from five thousand dollars to one hundred fifty thousand dollars. And since many of these homes are sold as foreclosures, that means the cleanup far exceeds what you paid for the property.

Yahoo News has a great article today about a family who bought one of these homes for $39,000, only to find that it was making them all very sick. They're now stuck paying rent in addition to the mortgage on a home that's not inhabitable. Read "Mystery illness solved when family discovers new home was a meth lab," and be sure to watch the video at the bottom of the page. It will definitely  make you think before you go looking at houses!

As of January, there were no disclosure laws in Maine regarding meth labs. Read about it in this article by the Bangor Daily. And next time you find a house you're thinking of buying, spend the fifty bucks for the test kit and do your homework. Make sure the house isn't toxic!

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