Unless it has already been stripped, a 1906 home has lead based paint. The Oregon Earnest Money Agreement (the purchase contract) has a provision for testing for lead based paint separate to the professional inspection period. For you and I, the Cliff Note version is, “don’t eat the paint.” It is more serious for children and pets where health and development issues can be dangerous. If you don’t disturb it, you are better off than if you do so improperly. The Lead Based Paint Addendum is required for any transaction where the home was built before 1978. The Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home is an EPA handout and is required that the buyer receive as part of the addendum. If you have any questions about lead in your home, you should contact the appropriate agencies.

I’ve already got bids for stripping the paint off the house but I thought I would give one of the home test kits a try to confirm what I already knew.

Sure enough, after two minutes of holding the moistened pad to the paint sample, the pad turned pink: