BiggerPockets

http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2009/05/18/daily29.html

Jeff I know you've mentioned this in the past but I thought this was a good info piece people should know about. Sometimes importing building materials can turn out to be a bad move, even if its cheaper in the short run.

It could get really bad!

Wow!

They didn't seem to know about the items used in the drywall. The gases come out and then things go crazy. About 20% of homes tested in areas of FL have it. It doesn't seem to be a fixable situation. It does smell like a sulphur or rotten egg. The easiest places to see it are in the outlets, switches etc. The ground wire will be black and pock marked. All metal seems to be affected. Some of the physical characteristics to health are more frequent nose bleeds, rashes, stiffness and soreness of joints. No one knows long term problems, it hasn't been long enough. At least one seller and realtor committed fraud. Housing inspector inspected house for buyer in Jan. Found the drywall problem and buyer walked away. Just by accident, SAME inspector was hired by a DIFFERENT buyer to inspect same house. ALL the tell tale signs had been replaced; ground wires, refrigerator coils, and plumbing connections. They all looked shinier than a new copper penney!! This could be a major problem in the future. For about $1400-$1800 a professional inspector can test the air and send to a lab in CA or one other state to determine for sure.
Just the tip of the iceberg, I'm afraid. Rich

Why do you think I'm re-locating to FL? The sunshine ? I'll keep you all posted from the trenches. I have a few offers out at present and more to follow... Rich.

I would not touch one till the EPA decides what it is....

Locally about 10 percent of the 2004-2006 vintage is expected to have it

Here is a link from the state of Florida about what to look for

http://www.doh.state.fl.us/environment/community/indoor-air/inspections.html

Here's a link to a new study on Chinese Drywall I thought worth sharing:

Drywall Information Center

Don't file a claim if you've got it. The coverage will be dropped and the house will be flagged.

Any word on whether or not we can deduct this from our 800 Billion we owe them?

Any more info on treating the issue on homes that do have chinese drywall?
Still seeing some good deals that may/may not have it...

We purchase these products because they are cheaper, not better made.

How many people really care about the brand or origin of drywall in their homes until it's a problem?

For any commodity type of good or product that the average Joe has no direct knowledge or care of it's source - China is the default option.