We really “methed up” on this Home Inspection . . .
Please, be careful out there! Read on-
Here in North Idaho, narcotics use is alive and “un” well. Shortly after my Meth article in the Coeur d’Alene Press was published*,* we were called upon to inspect a home here in CDA that turned out to be a Meth house.
It started out like any other duplex; Jeanne set up on the right side with her radio and tablet PC, while I started on the outside of the property and worked my way into the left side of the duplex.
Soon after entering, I started feeling numbness in the back of my throat, followed by a feeling of disorientation. It was different than times I’ve been carbon monoxide poisoned during inspections, where the feeling is usually one of tiredness. Then I began to feel a bit “high”.
The occupants were a young woman, her toddler son and an infant (I mean, infant). She seemed a bit “out of it”, the toddler was babbling away (nothing strange about that, I guess), and the infant hardly made a peep during the entire time I was there.
There was no “signs” of drug use or manufacturing, but I couldn’t deny how I was feeling. Meanwhile, Jeanne was experiencing similar symptoms, on the other side of the fire-walled duplex.
I called the client and described what was happening. I didn’t want to alarm him, but felt it was my duty to offer meth / narcotics testing in this case (I don’t know of any other Home Inspectors in North Idaho who are lab-certified to do this). He authorized it, feeling it was well worth the $189 to avoid future legal problems if the test came back positive.
I informed the selling agent, and proceeded, in a discreet fashion, to do the testing and then shipped it off to the lab. Meanwhile, it took several hours for us to start feeling “normal”.
Within a couple days, we had the lab results, and they were positive for meth and other narcotics. It is my understanding that someone in the communication chain above me reported the situation, especially the babies involved.
A client was protected, two children may have been saved from a horrible situation, we recovered from the ‘poisoning’, and I don’t know what has or will happen to the house. Clearly, this was not a case of any of the real estate professionals killing a deal, but rather of a house committing suicide. The client found another property with the same realtor.
So, please be aware of your surroundings out there, and pay particular attention to how you are feeling at all times!
:shock: 