Buying a House or Selling a House that may need Mold Removal

Before I begin, I must tell you that I am not a real estate professional, but a certified mold re mediator for the last 25 years. I decided to write about the topic of mold issues and real estate due to the confusion of information that is circling around the industry. The purpose of this article is to make aware to the home buyer and the real estate professional issues that take place when dealing with mold remediation and mold removal.

As of the day this article was written, there are no laws managing how mold is to be removed. What drives the mold issue in the real estate industry is the concern of law suits. The following are issues of concern that both the home buyer and the Realtor should be aware of before proceeding with listing your home.

Hiding mold issues-If you are a homeowner selling your home, the last thing you want is a call from your customer that bought your home that they have mold and their beautiful baby girl now has respiratory issues brought from the mold that you didn't think was an issue. Now rightly so, when you lived in the home it wasn't a big issue because frankly it was in the corner behind a sofa. When you moved the sofa to leave the home for the last time, you just painted over the mold, hoping that would be the last of the situation.

Now as you are talking to the new owner of the home, you find out that the mold issue not only reappeared , but has grown inside the wall right behind the baby crib. But then you calm down and say to yourself how can they prove that the mold was there before they bought the house. Maybe they created the water moisture intrusion ( the only way for mold to grow ) themselves.

Believe it or not through engineering controls and visual inspection, it can be proven that the water issue and then the mold issue were there way before the new homeowner purchased the home. One way visually is to show moisture rings that overlap, showing that the water damage that caused the mold is not new.

Mold Testing issues- You just got your home tested for mold because the new possible owners are concerned because of their new born baby. You read the mold report and realize it's very scientific and you didn't do well in science class. You do see the words high levels and of course that raises your concern.

You are willing to take care of the situation and reduce the mold issue so that the home is safe. You also did some research and realized that no home can be mold free. As soon as you open the doors, you will bring in mold spores. The object is to have the mold spore count lower than outside the home. But as you question everyone concerned you see that there is no instructions on creating safe levels of mold spores. How do you even begin and who do you call to take care of the situation.

Luckily you see that the mold tester is also a mold re-mediator which is a fancy term for mold removal. But as you get ready to call the mold tester/mold removal company that tested your home, a friend calls you and tells you what she read.

It just so happens that in many states , it is against the law for a mold testing company to also offer mold removal services. In many cases courts have thrown out mold tests, due to the fact that the same company that was mold testing has also removed the mold.

The problem is a conflict of interest. The problem arises with the fear that the mold tester may "fix" the results to make the problem worse therefore making the mold removal service bill higher. There may not even be a problem and yet the mold tester may create a bigger issue, demanding unnecessary mold remediation.

Mold Removal Instructions- If you have a mold issue and you are buying or selling a house, you probably got excited when you saw the words "Mold removal instructions" 

Sorry but there are no laws right now in many states dictating how mold removal should be performed. But there are guidelines explaining what to do to remove mold issues.

The most important and followed guidelines for removing mold is called the IICRC S520 guidelines. These guidelines developed by the IICRC, are used not only by many court systems , but also with Certified Industrial Hygienist ( hired scientists that specialize in environmental testing ). The EPA suggests that mold testers follow the American Industrial Hygiene Association guidelines when taking mold samples. Please remember that just because your mold tester sends the mold samples to an independent certified lab, doesn't mean that the samples they were given were of a quality nature.

The IICRC S520 guidelines specifically details how to remove mold issues and suggests ways to make sure that the mold removal project was successful.

As I have mentioned in this article many states do not have mold laws, making the process of mold removal difficult. It's even more challenging when the lack of official standards, come into play when you get sued. Even though I am not an attorney, there are some tips to avoid getting into trouble when dealing with mold issue. Disclose that you have a mold issue or you may have a mold issue if you think so. Make sure that your mold tester is willing to do a post test ( clearance test ) to prove that at the time of sale, your home was showing safe levels of mold. You may want to get his paper work showing he has the credentials and insurance in case you have to go to court. Make sure your mold remediation contractor follows the IICRC S520 guidelines and posses not only general contracting insurance but also pollution control insurance. For more information on mold removal, or if your looking to hire a mold remediation company, please call us at the number above or click/visit our page on mold removal.