Mold is pretty darn awful – egregious even. Nothing is worse than stepping into a home with a mold problem. It routinely scares away buyers and gives others buyer’s remorse. Mold is everywhere, literally. If you have dust and humidity, then you have mold. Whether you are buying, selling, building or maintaining a home, it is important to have a certified home inspector check for mold!
Molds are just fungi. Fungi are pretty versatile little organisms, giving us everything from mushrooms and cheese to athlete’s foot and that black stuff that grows on your shower grout. And, of course, it’s also the stuff that takes over your leftovers when you forget about them in the back of the refrigerator. In your house, mold comes in a variety of colors: orange, green, black, and white, though black mold is the most common in homes. People often find it on the back of toilets or on painted walls. Any place where moisture can collect is generally a good place to look for mold. A home inspector knows all the places mold can hide and grow.
You don’t need to lose sleep over the microscopic mold spores in your home. The only time you really need to start worrying about it is when you have more mold inside your house than outside. Then, it can be a problem.
Mold can cause a wide variety of annoying health problems. Some people are actually allergic to the mold itself, while others may feel absolutely nothing at all. Symptoms include coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, stuffy nose, itchy throat, and eye irritation. It’s not life-threatening, but it can make you pretty miserable nonetheless.
It’s extremely important to know about a mold problem when you are in the home-buying process. Most insurance companies are not going to cover any sort of remediation process, so any costs are going to be on the homeowner.
Battling mold is pretty simple, but often costly. They feed off of items with cellulose – things like carpet, drywall, and wood. If it’s been feeding too long, then those items will need to be replaced. Simply tearing out the afflicted areas will not solve your mold problem, though. The source of the problem needs to be found. Is it moisture dripping from a dehumidifier or A/C unit? Maybe there’s a leaky pipe or perhaps even a leak in your foundation. With mold, sometimes it’s the cause that you can’t see that makes the remediation process so scary (and expensive).
Every house has mold spores. Your only defense as a homeowner is knowledge. If you don’t know it’s there, you can’t even start the battle. Contact Checkmark Home Inspection Services. Our home inspectors will have your home inspected for all potential issues including mold. It will save you money (and sniffles) in the long run.
Checkmark Home Inspection Services strives to provide the most thorough and comprehensive home inspection, including radon testing in the marketplace. Our inspections are informative and educational and are complete with maintenance tips and suggestions that lead to many years of enjoyment in your home. If you are buying, selling, building a home or simply need a home checkup or radon test, give us a call. Our home inspectors will perform a quality evaluation at an affordable price. Checkmark is a proud member in good standing of ASHI and InterNACHI.