By MATT MAURY

"Do you know the age of the house?" That is just one of the questions among four pages that you will be asked at any time in the future you plan to sell your home.

In this era of in-depth information, every home seller is required to fill out a "Real Property Transfer Disclosure Statement," better known by real estate agents as "Form 17."

Anyone going to a new doctor or dentist can remember having to fill out the medical history - trying to recall the dates of injuries and operations. It's hard to do when you don't have it written down already. Well, that same problem is going to occur when it's time to sell your home, if you haven't taken time to record its history.

As you can tell by the question above, the form asks for information from the time the house was built. It wants to know about any rewiring, re-plumbing, additions and remodeling. Were permits obtained and were inspections done? What's been done legally and what hasn't? You may not know an answer if it happened prior to your ownership of the house. However, you need the facts if it happened on your watch.

Next, the form asks about defects: Are there any in the foundation, walls, windows, doors, ceilings, fireplace, chimneys, roof or decks? It even asks about appliances, water heaters and security systems.

Then, there are the questions about hazardous materials. Is there any lead-based paint present? If the house was built after 1978, there shouldn't be any. That's because the federal government banned the use of lead in paint that year. Prior to 1978, the odds are extremely high that some, if not all, of the paint contains lead. It may be covered with a coat or two of latex paint by now, but the correct response to the question would be "yes."

Asbestos is another hazardous material that has been used in building products. Homes built between 1930-1950 may have asbestos insulation. This insulation was also commonly wrapped around pipes to hot-water radiators and furnace ducts. Some roofing and siding products were made with asbestos cement and used until the 1960s. Some linoleum and vinyl flooring made during the same period also contains it. One of the most common products containing asbestos has been the texturing material for sheetrock walls and ceilings. Federal law banned the use of asbestos in those products in 1977. Until then, virtually every home with a "popcorn"-type ceiling contained asbestos.

Neither lead-based paints nor products containing asbestos are health risks unless these substances become airborne. The important thing is to identify where they might be and then not disturb them, or take proper precautions during remodeling projects.

Another important piece of a home's history is the heating system. For many years, the principal source of heat for Seattle homes was oil-burning furnaces. Through the years, conversions have been made to gas- or electric-heating systems. Until recent years, the old oil tank was left underground. If it hasn't been removed, it needs to be identified on the Disclosure Statement.

If you don't know much about your home's history, the easiest place to begin a search is by contacting long-time residents of the neighborhood. Often, these neighbors will know a lot about a home, even how to contact past owners or relatives. Then, set up a journal with key information about your home, including past remodeling projects. Once started, the log should be easy to keep up for that day in the future when there will be the need for full disclosure.