Stain on carpet

[Phillip]

I found this stain in a closet of a vacant home. There where a lot of air fresheners on the wall of the closet.

What do you think caused it?

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[Scottpat]

Kool Aid?

I would not try and diagnose stains, you just never know.

Did the house stink?

[Mark P]

Clearly someone was eating palmagranite & red plum jam on organic flax crackers, when a hand emerged from the inky shadows, searching for its owner.

[gtblum]

It's from the boss beating the installer for not staggering the laminate flooring.

[hausdok]

I wouldn't care about it. If the client wants to know the client can ask the seller what it's about and doesn't need you to do it. We get paid to find the stuff that the client is unable to find - not report the obvious to them. A stained carpet is a cosmetic issue. Unless it looked to me like it was caused by a leak in the roof or a failure of some electro-mechanical system I wouldn't even give it a thought.

I've inspected homes that were so dirty that I showered twice after I got home and couldn't imagine purchasing them. Nonetheless, the clients that hired me for those places, had their own eyes, ears and noses and were intent on buying them anyway. It's not our business to worry about that kind of stuff. Once you comment on one thing like that during an inspection, you raise the expectation in the mind of the client that you should be commenting on all of them. What happens if you then don't?

Don't go there.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Brian G]

If I see something like that and it bothers me, I mention it in the report and suggest asking the sellers about it. The sellers have to either tell the client what they know, or lie about it. Either one has a certain value. [:-mischie

If there is no seller to ask...well, I noted it.

Brian G.

Axe the Cellar []

[msteger]

I would guess grape juice or Kool-Aid, but I don't typically worry about stained carpet if it looks like its not related to leaks or something that be damaging to the home. I would considered what's in the photo as cosmetic.

[Phillip]

The reason I am asking is this house is in an area where a lot of meth has been made.

The house is bank owned.

This is in the closet at the front door which the flooring there is vinyl sheet.

[hausdok]

Phillip,

If you know that, and the client knows it, and the client is worried about it - the client need only hire an indoor air quality firm to come in and go through the house, take samples and do the testing, but it needs to be at the client's insistance, not yours. Otherwise, if the house turns up clean your credibility suffers.

If I saw that stain I wouldn't give it a second thought. If the client asked about it, I'd tell the client I don't have a clue as to what caused it, that from my point of view it's cosmetic and that I won't be reporting it. If, despite that, the client expressed some concern about it I'd tell the client to hire an indoor air quality firm to test it and I'd point out that the client should expect to pay anywhere from $300 to $700 for that service.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Rob Amaral]

Say 'unknown stain' and 'remove carpet to see if cause of stain affected subfloor below' or something like that.

[Jim Katen]

I found this stain in a closet of a vacant home. There where a lot of air fresheners on the wall of the closet.

What do you think caused it?

Depends. What did it taste like?

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[hausdok]

LOL!!! Leave it to Katen to cause me to blow hot coffee through my nose!

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Bill Kibbel]

The reason I am asking is this house is in an area where a lot of meth has been made.

While a single stain may not be enough evidence to establish a case for a former methamphetamine lab, I commend Phillip for his concern for his clients. I don't think his credibility would come into question if he expressed his concern and it turns out clean.

I've read, then quickly forgotten all the reports of homes being used as former meth labs as I was quite sure it would never be an issue that would surface around areas that I serve. As of just a few days ago, I've been proved wrong. About four miles from my home, renters of a house in a very nice rural area, on a nice country road where I've inspected a few fine farmhouses, were just busted for manufacturing meth. This is an area where the crime rate is one-tenth of a percent of the national average and the median income is much greater than mine.

Law enforcement officials estimate that for every lab busted, there are at least ten that are unknown. These eventually end up on the market and get purchased by unsuspecting, innocent families. No one is disclosing former labs to new owners. There's only a handful of databases in a few states, listing only busted labs. The home buying public has no warning of the long-term health concerns or what to look for. I think it would be a good idea for all home inspectors everywhere to get credible training in the recognition of former meth labs. There's training, originally aimed at first responders, now available to those in property management and real estate related professions.

Sorry about the rant, but this is a timely topic for me. I will be completing my training by the end of the month.

"Every day a child gets sick because they are living in a meth lab home and their parents don't know it. No one ever thought it was important enough to tell them. Warning others about a meth lab home before they buy or rent it is the right thing to do". methlabhomes.com