Qualified and Thorough Mold Inspector (Indianapolis, Hope: real estate, how much, lawyer)

[Southside Shrek]

does anyone know of an experienced and qualified mold inspector with the proper equipment to do a thorough/exhaustive mold inspection of a home in the Indianapolis area? Need an inspector who can and also will check inside the interior walls, duct work, etc. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

[kstutler]

We used Mike Crandell who I was told is one of the top two mold experts in the US Message me and I will find his contact info for you. He does test the interior of the walls. Our first mold test cost 5,000.00.

[domergurl]

Our relo company used a company called US Inspect. Their hygenist was very thorough, but I don't know how much it cost ... relo company paid.

[Southside Shrek]

Originally Posted by kstutler

We used Mike Crandell who I was told is one of the top two mold experts in the US Message me and I will find his contact info for you. He does test the interior of the walls. Our first mold test cost 5,000.00.

kstutler
can I ask this--- what prompted you to expend $5K for a thorough mold inspection of a home? that's a lot of money to spend to thoroughly explore for mold in a home and obviosuly doesn't include any remediation or cleanup costs should mold be found in interior walls, etc.
how many hours did Mike Crandall spend on his mold inspection?

[kstutler]

yes you can ask. My lawyer and engineer prompted us to get the test and this particular professional. He also came back at a later date and that was another 500.00
You could see mold on the band joist ( i guess that's what its called) so we knew it was there visibly but couldn't see inside the walls. Visible mold was present and the home wasn't even one year old yet.
But this test included inside the walls.
I do not know how many hours he spent on it. He did bring a team with him though and they were very thorough.

[tomorrow]

Originally Posted by kstutler

yes you can ask. My lawyer and engineer prompted us to get the test and this particular professional. He also came back at a later date and that was another 500.00
You could see mold on the band joist ( i guess that's what its called) so we knew it was there visibly but couldn't see inside the walls. Visible mold was present and the home wasn't even one year old yet.
But this test included inside the walls.
I do not know how many hours he spent on it. He did bring a team with him though and they were very thorough.

wow, it caused 5K to check mold even without remediation. I was in the middle of buying a house. After giving the owner our deposit, our inspector found black mold in the attic, a loose pipe nearby, and water leak mark in the ceiling of the second floor. He told us the black/toxic mold can be taken care of by a good remediation company. We will ask seller to do the remediation but I really doubt if they will spend 5K on this house to check all possible hidden mold caused by this leak... Hope I can walk away with my deposit back. But my realtor told me that this might be hard to get the money back.

[MikiJayne]

When I bought my house there was a bit of mold in the attic and garage. It cost under $1000 to have a mold remediation company come in and take care of those 2 areas. We didn't have them check the entire rest of the home or in the walls or anything.

I use USInspect in my business life, and they are awesome. When we had our mold issues, we used Star Environmental.

TOMORROW--- I dodn't realize you were in the Indy area! I replied to your post in the Real Estate section as well!

[kstutler]

As long as your Realtor included in the contract that it was contingent upon a satisfactory inspection to buyer you would get your money back by any reputable firms.

Vertech Inspections

[Naptowner]

Usually you get your earnest money (deposit) back if you terminate the reason for cause, and mold would generally qualify - most real estate purchase contracts are contingent on a favorable inspection.