Also on Monday, Real Estate Institute ACT president Ron Bell said he knew of six Mr Fluffy homes just sold or being negotiated with buyers, as a Tuggeranong real estate agent began touting for business from the homeowners.

Taskforce head Andrew Kefford is trying to work out how many of the 1049 homes involved in the asbestos clean-up are still standing. The figure includes homes since demolished, four homes missed in the original clean-up and cleaned in 1996, 2007 and 2009, and 10 homes destroyed in the fires.

Asked about the potential for contamination across other parts of the city from the fires, Mr Kefford said it was a concern but burned homes had also contained bonded asbestos and the smoke had contained other contaminants. “With a fire of that magnitude there’s all sorts of things in the smoke,” he said.

By Monday, 900 people had registered with the taskforce, including more than 750 homeowners. They would be asked to sign for a registered-post letter this week, as would home owners who were yet to register, as the Government creates a definitive list.

Mr Bell said three homes had sold in the past six weeks for only about 10 per cent below market value. One had gone to a Melbourne investor, who had told the agent he didn't care about the potential presence of loose asbestos fibres in the home, and would rent out the property.

The Canberra Times has reported two other recent sales, one of a Mr Fluffy home in Deakin for about land value only, and another for $60,000 less than market value.

On the weekend, Tuggeranong real estate agent John Tye advertised for Mr Fluffy homeowners who wanted to sell to contact him. He said he saw an opportunity to become a specialist in the sale of the stigmatised homes and to help owners who had no idea where to turn. Mr Tye said he wouldn't pay more than land value for the houses, but owners might still benefit if they demolished and rebuilt before selling.

"In the middle of difficulty lays opportunity. My coffee cup with that written on it is nearly worn out but I read it every day," he said.

Mr Tye has watched a friend die of mesothelioma, with the asbestos exposure unknown, and said no amount of money or signing of waivers could compensate.

But he said “someone needs to know what to do on the sales side of things”.

"It's not good burying your head in your hands .. What we see as an opportunity is that we can be the conduit for people. Rather than chase through bureaucracies, we work out what they’ve got to do. I'm on a mission to find out what the hell we can do."

Mr Tye, who works for Ray White and has never yet sold a Mr Fluffy house that he knew about, said he had received a call on Monday from a Mr Fluffy homeowner responding to his advertisement. She had bought the house two years ago without knowing its history.

But institute head Mr Bell urged caution, saying anyone thinking of selling should consider waiting, with the federal and ACT governments still considering whether houses should be demolished.

"There's quite a few agents with them to sell," Mr Bell said. "Quite a few landlords, as I understand it, have decided to sell their investment properties and they've proceeded straight away, where my advice would be to talk to the taskforce first."

He pointed out that when a Downer house missed in the clean-up had been demolished last year, the top 300 millimetres of soil had had to be removed because of contamination.

"It's easy to say knock it down and build something else, but we need to know the contaminants that are into the ground as well," he said. "It's not just a knock down, rebuild. It could be a very expensive knock down and I think people have got to understand that."

Mr Kefford said provided there was “disclosure on all sides of the transactions there is no reason why these houses can’t be bought and sold”. Buyers should also look for the certificate of clearance and a report specifically mentioning “Mr Fluffy” in house-sale documents, he said.

The Government has released new guidelines for agents, but while they say agents should disclose the presence of asbestos to buyers and tenants, they don’t specifically require agents to use the words “loose-fill asbestos” or “Mr Fluffy”. “The degree of disclosure by a vendor’s agent to a potential buyer is a matter for judgment in the individual case,” the guidelines say.