Discovering mold during a home inspection can be a stressful experience for both buyers and sellers.
While it’s a common issue in many homes, understanding what mold is, its implications, and how to address it can help you make informed decisions about your real estate purchase.
Let’s dive into everything you need to know about dealing with mold discovered during a home inspection.
Table of Contents
What is Mold
Mold is more than just an unsightly problem in homes. These microscopic organisms belong to the fungi kingdom and exist naturally in our environment.
While mold plays a crucial role in nature by breaking down organic matter like fallen leaves and dead trees, its presence inside our homes is less welcome.
What many people don’t realize is that mold spores are constantly present in the air around us.
These invisible particles float through both outdoor and indoor environments, making it impossible to completely eliminate them from our homes.
However, this natural presence only becomes problematic when these spores find suitable conditions to grow and multiply.
How Common is Mold in Home Inspections?
If you’re worried about finding mold during your home inspection, you should know that it’s a relatively common occurrence.
Most homes will have some level of mold presence, but this doesn’t automatically mean you should walk away from the purchase.
The key is understanding the extent of the problem and the type of mold present.
What Makes a Mold Problem Serious? – Home Inspection
A mold problem can be serious for a number of reasons, and it depends on different factors. Here’s a breakdown of those factors in simple terms:
1. How Much Mold Is Growing?
The size of the mold problem matters. If there’s a little bit of mold in one corner of the room, it might not be as bad as if it’s covering a whole wall or spreading across the ceiling.
The more mold there is, the more work it will take to get rid of it, and the bigger the health risks can become.
2. Where Is the Mold Growing?
Where the mold is located is also very important. If it’s growing on surfaces you can easily clean, like a bathroom wall, it might not be as dangerous.
But if mold is growing inside the walls, on the ceiling, or in hidden places like the attic or under the floorboards, it can be harder to get rid of and could damage the building.
Mold inside walls can also be harder to spot, so it might spread without being noticed.
3. What Type of Mold Is It?
Not all molds are the same. Some types of mold are more dangerous than others. For example, black mold (also called Stachybotrys chartarum) is known to be particularly harmful to your health.
It can cause problems like coughing, headaches, and even more serious breathing issues, especially for people with allergies or asthma.
Other types of mold might not be as dangerous, but they can still cause allergic reactions and damage over time.
4. Why Is the Mold Growing?
Mold grows because of moisture. If there is a one-time issue, like a small leak that you quickly fix, the mold might not be a big deal.
However, if there’s an ongoing problem with moisture – for example, a roof leak that keeps letting water into the walls or high humidity – the mold problem will keep coming back.
This makes it harder to fix and more damaging over time. Ongoing moisture problems are usually a bigger deal than something that happened just once.
5. How Easily Can the Mold Spread?
Mold doesn’t stay in one place for long. It can spread quickly, especially if the area is damp.
If mold is left untreated, it might grow into other parts of the house, like other rooms, the basement, or even the air ducts. The more it spreads, the more expensive and difficult it is to fix.
Why It’s Important to Take Mold Seriously
When you see mold, it’s important to pay attention to all these factors. If the mold is in a small, easy-to-clean area and it’s a one-time thing, it might not be a huge issue.
But if the mold is large, in hard-to-reach places, or it keeps coming back because of moisture, it can cause damage to your home and be bad for your health.
Mold Testing
A common misconception is that you need to identify the specific type of mold present. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, if you can see or smell mold, testing is unnecessary.
The remediation process remains the same regardless of the type: remove the moisture source and clean up the mold.
Your Options When Mold is Discovered
When you’re buying a house, you might come across some issues during the inspection, like mold. Mold can be a big problem, but there are different ways you can handle it. Here are some options you have when it comes to dealing with mold in a house you’re thinking about buying:
1. Negotiate Repairs
If the home has mold, you can ask the seller (the person selling the house) to take care of it before you buy the house. Here are some ways you can handle this:
Pay for Mold Remediation: You can ask the seller to pay for a professional service that will get rid of the mold. This is often called “mold remediation.” Mold removal experts have the tools and knowledge to safely clean the mold and prevent it from coming back.
Do the Repairs Before Closing: You can ask the seller to fix the mold problem before the sale goes through. That way, you don’t have to worry about it once you move in.
Provide a Credit at Closing: Another option is to ask the seller for a credit. This means they will give you money at closing, and you can use it to hire professionals to take care of the mold yourself after you’ve moved in.
Reduce the Purchase Price: If you think the mold issue will be expensive to fix, you can ask the seller to lower the price of the house. This way, you can use the extra money to fix the problem.
2. Share the Costs
Sometimes, both the buyer and the seller agree to split the cost of getting rid of the mold. This might happen if the mold problem is big but the house is still in good shape overall, and you still really want to buy it. Splitting the cost helps both sides come to an agreement that works for everyone.
3. Accept As-Is
If the mold problem is small and it doesn’t seem like it will be too difficult or expensive to fix, you might decide to just take care of it yourself.
If you’re getting a good deal on the house and the mold isn’t a huge problem, you can accept the house as-is.
This means you’re agreeing to buy the house in its current condition, including the mold. You would handle the mold cleanup after you close the deal.
4. Walk Away
In some cases, mold can be a big problem, and the costs to fix it might be very high. If the mold is severe or you feel uncomfortable with the situation, you don’t have to go through with the purchase.
If you have a clause in your contract called an “inspection contingency,” you can back out of the deal. This means you can cancel the sale if something serious comes up during the inspection, like mold that’s too expensive to fix.
In summary, if you find mold in a home you’re interested in, you don’t have to just accept it. You can negotiate with the seller to have it fixed, share the costs, decide to handle it yourself, or walk away if it’s too big of an issue.
Always make sure you know your options so you can make the best decision for you and your future home.
Making the Decision
Finding mold during a home inspection can be a big surprise, and it might feel a little scary, but it doesn’t always mean you should walk away from the house right away.
There are several things you need to consider before making your decision. These factors will help you figure out whether dealing with the mold is worth it or if you should keep looking for a different home.
Let’s break it down into some key points-
1. Property Value
First, it’s important to think about how much it will cost to fix the mold problem and how that fits with the price of the house.
Cost of Fixing the Mold: How much will it cost to get rid of the mold? If it’s just a small spot in the corner of the bathroom, it might not be too expensive to fix.
But if the mold is inside the walls, under the floors, or in the roof, it could be a lot more costly to repair.
Make sure to find out how much it will really cost to fix the problem and whether that makes sense for the price of the house.
For example, if you’re buying a house for $300,000 and fixing the mold costs $5,000, that might not be such a big deal. But if the repair costs $20,000, you might need to think twice.
Future Resale Value: Another thing to consider is how the mold issue might affect the value of the house when you try to sell it in the future. Some potential buyers might be scared off by mold, even if it’s fixed.
They might offer you a lower price or not even want to buy the house at all. So, think about how the mold might affect the house’s resale value.
If you plan on staying in the house for many years, this might not matter as much, but if you plan to sell soon, it’s something to keep in mind.
Are There Other Houses?: Before deciding to take on the mold problem, think about whether there are other houses in your price range that don’t have mold.
Sometimes it might be easier and less stressful to keep looking for a house that doesn’t need as much work.
2. Personal Factors
Mold doesn’t just affect the house – it can affect you and your family’s health and comfort. You’ll need to consider how mold could impact your daily life.
Health Risks: Mold can cause allergic reactions, breathing problems, and other health issues, especially for people who are sensitive to it.
If someone in your family has asthma, allergies, or other health concerns, mold might make these problems worse. It’s really important to think about how mold could affect your health and whether it’s worth the risk.
Time and Effort to Fix It: Do you have the time, energy, and skills to deal with the mold? If you’re handy and have experience, you might be able to fix it yourself.
But if you don’t know how to remove mold safely, you might need to hire professionals, which can take time and cost money.
If you don’t have the resources to fix the problem, you might want to think twice before taking on a house with mold.
How Much You Love the House: Do you absolutely love the house? Is it your dream home, and you’re willing to put in the extra work to make it perfect? If the house feels like “the one” for you, then fixing the mold might be worth it.
But if you’re still unsure about the house and are only so-so about it, then maybe it’s better to keep looking at other options.
3. Financial Considerations
Fixing mold isn’t cheap, so it’s important to think about your budget and whether you can afford the repair costs.
Budget for Repairs: Do you have enough money saved up to fix the mold problem? If not, will you be able to get a loan or use credit cards to pay for it?
You need to think about how much it will cost to remove the mold and repair any damage it caused. If you’re on a tight budget, this could be a big problem.
Overall Investment: Think about how much you’ll be spending on the house, including the mold repairs. If you’re planning to live in the house for a long time, then the cost of repairs might be worth it.
But if you’re planning to live there only a short time, you might decide that the cost isn’t worth the trouble.
Other Repairs Needed: Is there anything else in the house that needs fixing? For example, is the roof leaking, or are there plumbing issues?
If there are other big repairs needed, the mold might just be one more expensive problem. In this case, you’ll need to think carefully about whether it’s worth spending all that money to fix everything.
Conclusion
Finding mold during a home inspection doesn’t have to end your dream of homeownership.
With proper understanding, professional assistance, and careful consideration of your options, you can make an informed decision about how to proceed.
Whether you choose to negotiate repairs, handle the problem yourself, or continue your home search, the key is to approach the situation with knowledge and awareness of both the risks and potential solutions.
Remember that while mold is a common issue in homes, it’s also one that can be effectively addressed with proper remediation and prevention strategies.
Understanding the causes, implications, and solutions for mold problems, you’ll be better equipped to handle this situation if it arises during your home buying journey.