You can ask, but the seller is not obligated. Depending what type of financing you are going for, the lender or the underwriter may make removal a condition in the loan. Then, who will pay for it will have to be worked out. You may want to call the County Health department or the EPA but the last time I had questions, I was referred to the US Department of Labor. You may also want to go to the HUD site: http://www.hud.gov.

Everyone is going to have an opinion on it but ultimately, it will be your decision if you can live with it or not. From my understanding, asbestos becomes a problem when it is airborne. There are methods to "encapsulate" it that are effective as long as you do not touch it or move it around.