At least 3 ways to go about this.
1) Make it into a big deal, get the owner to take it out, test, and certify clean before he buys it.
2) Get a licensed abatement contractor to give a bid to clean it up. Ask that this amount be deducted from the purchase price. Then:
a) pay the guy to clean it up, certify it.
b) take it out yourself, pocket the money.
c) encapsulate it in place with lacquer, plastic, tape, etc. and leave it.
3) Do nothing, and just live with it.
I'd personally do 2b. Or, if I didn't want to do that, I'd do 1, 2a, 2c in that order. I wouldn't do 3, the problem isn't going away and regulations and cost won't get less with time. It needs dealt with somehow NOW.
If you do the removal yourself, take reasonable precautions, spray it with lacquer or clear coat before removing, wet it during removal, use a HEPA vacuum to do cleanup after wet mopping and letting it dry.
Asbestos is a big deal for those that have extensive exposure to inhaling friable material, but the less you're exposed, and the older you are, the less risk there is because the incubation time before it affects you is about 20+ years. I'm likely in the last 20 years of my life, so I'm not particularly concerned with it at this time. I still take reasonable precautions, and do a thorough and complete cleanup when I'm done. The biggest thing is don't let it get airborne. Encapsulate the surface by pre-soaking it with a fixative, and then wet the material as you remove it to suppress dusting. Then, wet cleanup the residues thoroughly so it doesn't dry out and become airborne. Finally, use a good vacuum to thoroughly clean all surfaces that were exposed to your cleanup efforts, with a vacuum that has an effective HEPA filter.
I worked extensively with friable asbestos, unprotected, for about 3 years in my late teens and early 20's, before it was generally known it was a hazard. 40 years later, I haven't developed any disease yet. That's fortunate, a lot of the people in my industry did.
