{"id":26120,"date":"2021-12-30T13:59:30","date_gmt":"2021-12-30T13:59:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/?p=26120"},"modified":"2021-12-30T14:04:08","modified_gmt":"2021-12-30T14:04:08","slug":"what-homebuyers-can-learn-from-the-flint-water-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/what-homebuyers-can-learn-from-the-flint-water-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"What Homebuyers Can Learn from the Flint Water Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- SEO Ultimate Plus (https:\/\/seoultimateplus.com) - Code Inserter module -->\n<script async>(function(s,u,m,o,j,v){j=u.createElement(m);v=u.getElementsByTagName(m)[0];j.async=1;j.src=o;j.dataset.sumoSiteId='b68b392479b5981b8acf46565e9fe32a0734fc21a1f7c1e60121eaa6ca1a1c64';v.parentNode.insertBefore(j,v)})(window,document,'script','\/\/load.sumo.com\/');<\/script>\n<!-- \/SEO Ultimate Plus -->\n\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It\u2019s easy to make mistakes while purchasing a house. To avoid making grievous errors, you must be cautious.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">As a homebuyer, there are many lessons you can learn from the Flint Water Crisis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The crisis is one of the most significant public health incidents to have plagued Michigan, lasting for more than five years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The residents of Flint suffered a massive infusion of lead in their water supply. And as a result, water in residential homes was unsafe for drinking, causing severe damage to citizens\u2019 health city-wide.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Flint, Michigan, residents constantly regret their housing choice, as they cannot move or sell the property.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">While the events in Flint are unfortunate and saddening, it\u2019s also an eye-opener and presents valuable lessons for today\u2019s homebuyers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">5 Lessons Homebuyers Can Learn from the Flint Water Crisis<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Finding the perfect home as a buyer can be very tasking. Typically, you want to make sure the location is correct, the size of your home is ideal, and your neighbourhood is safe. But it would help if you dug more profound than that. As a buyer, you must be diligent and patient. Be thorough in searching for potential problems with your new home.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It\u2019s easy to overlook, but you need a home with an excellent water supply. That\u2019s the only way you can avoid the unfortunate predicaments affecting the residents of Flint, Michigan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Below are a few lessons you can learn from the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Flint_water_crisis\">Flint Water Crisis<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Consider the Source of Water in the Area<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Flint residents suffered the effects of lead-poisoned water after authorities changed the residential water supply source. The water source was changed from the Detroit System, an adequate water supply, to the Flint River, which was highly contaminated with lead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Authorities supplied the Flint river water untested and untreated to more than 2000 residential buildings. Many residents had to live with the regret of their housing choice and the health consequences of consuming the contaminated water. Most of them were also unable to leave the area. They couldn\u2019t afford to move on as no one would buy their homes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">As a homebuyer, you must do proper research on your preferred neighbourhood. Please educate yourself on the source of water in the area and the safety of its distribution.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Take a Sample of the Water and Run a Test\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Living in a home with highly contaminated water can be torture. Flint residents adopted several solutions to reduce lead poisoning. They tried drinking bottled water and installing water filters. However, Flint water was so polluted that water filters had difficulty filtering it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">To avoid going through such pain, do your due diligence. As a homebuyer, you must carefully inspect the water in the home before making a purchase. The average lead content in the water must meet the\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.atsdr.cdc.gov\/csem\/leadtoxicity\/safety_standards.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">standards of the EPA<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. You can take a sample of the water to a lab and run tests or hire an inspector to evaluate the quality of the water onsite.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Request a Full Disclosure Form and Contract from the Seller<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Buyers are entitled to different disclosure rules depending on their location. For example, it may not be mandatory for home sellers to disclose the entire state of water quality to buyers in your location.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0It\u2019s not the standard for sellers to disclose the amount of lead and contaminants in a home\u2019s water, but you can request a disclosure contract from the seller.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A disclosure contract protects you from living in a home where unpleasant conditions were hidden from you. For instance, you don\u2019t have to live in a home you purchased after discovering that the house has insufficient water. Sellers who knowingly hide such important information can be sued.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Buy a Home with a Filtering System in Place<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A Home with an already installed water filtering system is more valuable than a home without one. Therefore, consider buying a home with an available\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/watermasterz.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">filtering system<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0if there are issues with the water quality.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Of course, if the home of your choice doesn\u2019t come with one, you can always purchase a water filter and install it in your home afterwards. Even when your home quality is fine, having a water filtering system protects you from sudden changes in quality in the future.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Consider the Cost of Quality Water in the Area<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Flint residents are not among the richest, but they paid the most for water. There was little or no value to the money they spent on water bills because their water was terrible and undrinkable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">They also spent more money purchasing bottled water for drinking, cooking, and washing hands. In addition, they spent money purchasing and maintaining water filters, which could barely keep up with the heavy lead pollution.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Learn from the Past<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Homebuyers can learn from the past by carefully considering the cost of quality water in an area. Whatever you spend, ensure you get good value for your money.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"reference-field\">\n<div class=\"x-form-field-wrap\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h6><span style=\"color: #999999;\">Ref : THSI-2570\u00a0 \/ ZD23137<\/span><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s easy to make mistakes while purchasing a house. To avoid making grievous errors, you must be cautious. As a homebuyer, there are many lessons you can learn from the Flint Water Crisis.\u00a0 The crisis is one of the most<span class=\"ellipsis\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/what-homebuyers-can-learn-from-the-flint-water-crisis\/\">Read more &#8250;<\/a><\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":26121,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wl_entities_gutenberg":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","spay_email":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"wl_entity_type":[602],"modified_by":"Editor","_wl_alt_label":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/water-lovers-pmAMt2GhIZM-unsplash.jpg","wl:entity_url":"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/post\/what_homebuyers_can_learn_from_the_flint_water_crisis","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26120"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26120"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26124,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26120\/revisions\/26124"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26120"},{"taxonomy":"wl_entity_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wl_entity_type?post=26120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}