Buying a home means making a decision on incomplete information, usually under a deadline. A property’s age is one of the few things known from the outset, and it says a lot about what might be behind the walls — materials that were standard practice when the house was built, and are a problem now.
Sift uses that age to flag which risks are worth raising before conditions come off, and what to ask about each one. It isn’t an inspection and it doesn’t confirm anything is present. It points at the right questions early enough to still be useful.
Below are the questions that come up most often.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Sift never sees the property. It works from the year the home was built and lists the risks that were common in that era, plus questions to ask about each one. A home inspector walks through the actual house and reports on its condition.
Use it to prepare for an inspection, not instead of one.
You can’t know from age alone. Age tells you what was normal to build with at the time, not what’s in a particular house. Finding out means asking, and usually testing.
Start with the seller. Property disclosure statements often list known hazards, and some sellers have testing reports or paperwork from past renovations. A seller who says no usually isn’t hiding anything. Most owners have never tested and don’t know either way.
No. Both were mixed into ordinary-looking materials like drywall compound, floor tile, popcorn ceilings and paint. A lab test on a sample is the only way to confirm it.
Left alone and in good condition, these materials are generally stable. Problems start when someone sands, scrapes or cuts into a surface without knowing what’s in it.
Sometimes. Poly B is a flexible grey plastic pipe. Where plumbing is exposed, at the hot water tank, under sinks or along a basement ceiling, you can often spot it.
Seeing some of it doesn’t tell you much on its own. Most of the system runs inside walls, sections may have been replaced already, and the pipe breaks down on the inside where nothing shows. A home inspector or plumber can tell you what the house is piped with.
It means the house was built during the years that material was in common use. That’s all it means. It isn’t a finding and it isn’t a percentage. A 1975 house might have asbestos in six places or none. The flag just means the question is worth asking.
No, and the checklist is most useful before the inspection happens. Bring it with you. If poly B comes up, ask the inspector to check the hot water tank and any exposed piping. If asbestos comes up, ask about attic insulation, ceiling texture and flooring. Inspectors work to a time limit, so telling them where to focus gets you more for your money.
It usually isn’t a reason to walk away. Asbestos and lead in good condition are often managed rather than removed, and poly B doesn’t have to be replaced right away.
What changes is the cost. Get quotes for remediation or re-piping, and check with an insurer before conditions come off. Both are easier to negotiate while conditions are still in place.