We know that homes with defective drywall exist and after the housing bust a lot of investors snatched them up for a song. Now we’re seeing more of these homes coming back on the market as being remediated. Defective drywall is a material defect that needs to be disclosed and even after remediation will always have to be disclosed at time of sale as being a home that previously had defective drywall.

The state of Florida has not issued any set rules on proper remediation although the city of Cape Coral does have certain requirements for the property to receive final permit approval after remediation. If you are considering purchasing a home that has been remediated look up the permit history to ensure that it was completed per city requirements. If the property is advertised as being professionally remediated/remodeled there should be a permit filed and approved with city hall. In the instance that no permit is found it might be a good idea to pass that one by.

My own thoughts on buying a defective drywall home – don’t do it. There is still too much that is unknown about defective drywall, long term health effects (if any, per official announcements it does not harm you but didn’t they say that about asbestos too?) etc. Not only do none of us know what will happen in five, ten, fifteen years but the home still has to be disclosed as being remediated of defective drywall….this can lead to stigmatization and affect resale value and the length of time in successfully selling your home.