Home Inspection found mold - advice please (floor, how much, dehumidifier)
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I'm under contract for a 1900 house that has been empty for a couple of months. When you walk into the house, it has that dank musty smell that I feel is mold but the inspector and realtor acted like they had no idea what I'm talking about. The home inspector then found a large area of mold on the floor of the crawl space as well as several spots of mold on the near wall. We also found mold spots on the air vents in 3 of the bedrooms and mold spots in the bathroom cabinets.
There is a sump pump in the basement but no vapor barrier or anything else. There are no filters in the intake vents inside the house, gutters are clogged, no soil grading or sloping away from the house.
The realtor says I now need to pay 500$ to have the mold tested and get an estimate for a remediation to bring to the negotiation table with the seller. I am ready to walk but this is NC and the seller has 3000$ of my nonrefundable due diligence fee. I feel uncomfortable spending another 500$ on mold testing when I'm already in for 3K, plus the home inspection fee, plus the termite inspection, plus the appraisal. It seems unwise to keep spending money on inspections that I will never get back especially since the seller can decline to pay for anything and I may end up walking.
What would you do? The realtor acts like it's no big deal and you just ask the seller to pay for remediation and move right in. I do really like the house but now feel afraid that I might be buying a money pit that will risk my health. I've always lived in historic homes in the South but have not had mold issues. I'm trying to decide if I should keep driving forward or cut my losses. By the way, I will NEVER pay a due diligence fee again and don't care if it costs me the contract.
Depends entirely on the reason for the mold. Not all mold is dangerous or hard to fix. Is something leaking? Lack of air circulation? You say it's been vacant, that itself can cause mold issues if there has been no heat or ventilation for a number of months.
The details matter. If you like the house I'd pursue defining and remedying the situation.
wait till your insurance company hears about your MOLD problem.
Mold is not easy to cure and you have already found them here and there and everywhere.
After this horrible winter in Houston,my water pipes in the attic broke and ruined my garage ceiling and sides.
All the drywalls were removed and the firm came with 2 machines and 2 fans,kept it running for 48 hours in the garage,then spray the place with chemicals,afterwards,I have to rub down all the exposed wooden framework as far as I can reach with bleach,before new drywall were installed.
Molds are very hard to rid,also fungus could grow spores and fly away to new places.
Insurance companies can tap into a database which will tell you the claim history of a house filed by previous owners,just a thought
wait till your insurance company hears about your MOLD problem.
Mold is not easy to cure and you have already found them here and there and everywhere.
Not necessarily true. I would bet that if the house in the OP's post had a decent heavy vapor barrier properly installed in the crawlspace with a good dehumidifier that the relative humidity (mold cause) would drop like a rock. The existing mold can also be eliminated by spraying with Concrobium, which prevents mold regrowth and eliminates musty smells. Mold treatment and elimination isn't rocket science.
The OP's prospective house issue isn't the same as YOUR house.
i'm under contract for a 1900 house that has been empty for a couple of months. When you walk into the house, it has that dank musty smell that i feel is mold but the inspector and realtor acted like they had no idea what i'm talking about. The home inspector then found a large area of mold on the floor of the crawl space as well as several spots of mold on the near wall. We also found mold spots on the air vents in 3 of the bedrooms and mold spots in the bathroom cabinets.
There is a sump pump in the basement but no vapor barrier or anything else. There are no filters in the intake vents inside the house, gutters are clogged, no soil grading or sloping away from the house.
The realtor says i now need to pay 500$ to have the mold tested and get an estimate for a remediation to bring to the negotiation table with the seller. I am ready to walk but this is nc and the seller has 3000$ of my nonrefundable due diligence fee. I feel uncomfortable spending another 500$ on mold testing when i'm already in for 3k, plus the home inspection fee, plus the termite inspection, plus the appraisal. It seems unwise to keep spending money on inspections that i will never get back especially since the seller can decline to pay for anything and i may end up walking.
What would you do? The realtor acts like it's no big deal and you just ask the seller to pay for remediation and move right in. I do really like the house but now feel afraid that i might be buying a money pit that will risk my health. I've always lived in historic homes in the south but have not had mold issues. I'm trying to decide if i should keep driving forward or cut my losses. By the way, i will never pay a due diligence fee again and don't care if it costs me the contract.
The nose doesn’t lie. I think I would give the seller an opportunity to identify and correct the problem, or the deal is off. I wouldn’t spend another dime. It doesn’t sound like the inspector was very good at his job.
If your agent is so eager for you to buy a moldy house, let her pay the $500.
It wouldn’t have been a deal breaker, but after we moved in, we found that the seller had put white caulk over moldy shower grout and there was also a painted over shower leak. DH was able to fix the leak in a day, but 13 years later, the grout mold is a daily battle.
Last edited by gentlearts; 06-28-2023 at 09:15 AM..
Is it mold or is it mildew? It was a wet spring in most of NC up until Memorial Day, so that could add to mildew growth. You say it's been empty, but have the systems been running during that time? if they were all turned off and the house was locked up, I would be less concerned than if the AC had been running for the last 3 months.
Ignore the sunk cost of your outlay. How much do you want that house? If the mold/mildew was remediated, would you still want the house or is mold a scarlet letter on the house for you?
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