House with asbestos siding

[Jordan Woolf]

A seller is offering to give me a house if I buy two of his other properties. The house he is offering to give me has asbestos siding. It is a large sturdy house and is about 1800 sq. Has anyone had any experience with asbestos siding? I heard it could cost $30,000+ to get the siding removed, is there anything else I should think about that would come with removing this siding? Would it be work removing if I am getting the house for free?

[Russell Brazil]

There is no reason to remove asbestos siding. There is nothing unsafe about it. Asbestos is only an issue when it is broken up and the particles become airborne. Asbestos siding is incredibly resilient and will last much much longer than most sidings. When it is time to replace, merely install siding over it to encapsulate the asbestos.