When you find the luxury home that suits all of your needs, you may want to make an immediate offer. However, it is important to make sure that you get your money’s worth, and that is why mold inspection is so important. Just because you cannot see it, does not mean it is not there at all.
How Does Mold Get in the House?
Mold is the byproduct of moisture and mold spores. The moisture may enter your home through a leaky pipe or shower, or even a cracked foundation where moisture can seep in unbeknownst to the homeowner. Once a single spore takes hold, it keeps growing until the homeowner removes it and corrects the moisture problem. Unfortunately, a vast percentage of the people who have mold growing inside their homes are completely unaware. This means that unless you have a mold inspection, you may be buying a mold-riddled home – and have absolutely no idea.
How Do the Inspectors Find the Mold?
Once again, mold can hide in a variety of places, and you cannot often see it. As such, professionals use far more than their eyes. They come prepared with specialized equipment designed to test the air for spores. Using that same equipment, they can pinpoint the areas where the concentration is highest. These inspectors look for other things, too. For instance, if a home has had a large-scale roof or sheetrock replacement in the past, this is a definite sign that moisture once found its way into the home.
Mold Removal
If an inspector finds mold inside a home you are interested in buying, things can get tricky. First, you need to determine the extent of the mold. In most cases, as long as the situation is mild, mold abatement takes care of the issue and makes the home safe. However, if the mold is severe, or if the inspector finds black mold inside the wood framing of the house, there is no way to remove it. The only safe treatment involves removing and replacing the problem pieces, which gets expensive. You will need to decide if you still want to buy the house first and, if so, who will pay for the cost of the abatement. If you will pay, make sure to negotiate a lower selling price to cover those costs.
The Danger
Just as mold spores spread in a home, they can spread throughout your body. Symptoms of mold poisoning range from mild to severe, and include fatigue, dizziness, headaches, muscle pain, itchy skin and eyes, and more. Although a house may appear pristine inside and out, mold is a curious invader that cannot tell the difference between a tree and a luxury home. As such, it is important to hire a professional who can tell you whether the home is safe or whether it needs further inspection.
Any time you spend a large sum of money on a home, it is always better to be safe than sorry. Hire an inspector who can check for abnormal mold levels, and be sure to address any issues that may arise if he or she finds mold.