Mold! Ha ha ha!
Mold
–noun
- a growth of minute fungi forming on vegetable or animal matter, commonly as a downy or furry coating, and associated with decay or dampness.
Hey, they forgot to include drywall, insulation and carpeting in that defintition.
There are more dangerous organisms than mold thriving in most people’s pants! Yet, we don’t disclose that fact and don’t charge a fortune to treat it and clean it up. Thank goodness lawyers haven’t figured out how to sue underwear manufacturers and clothing retailers because of it–yet! :
Hey, mold has gotten tons of media attention these last few year. It’s a popular way to say, “there’s something wrong with my house that’s really, really bad, and someone should be sued to pay for it!”
Oh well, you can just assume it’s localized and treat it with Tri Sodium Phosphate (I’ve read that bleach won’t kill of the buggers). Or, you can run around crying and screaming in fear that the entire house must be filled with unmentionable toxins that will causeblindness and cancer to all those who enter the dwelling. If so, tear down those walls! Take your samples! Do you lab tests!
I’d just say that however seriously you take the problem when you buy, that’s how seriously you should consider the issue when you sell. If mold is a big deal to you now, then it’s a big deal to your buyer down the road. If you get a big discount now because of mold, offer your future buyer a big discount, unless you completely remove it. I tend not to make a big deal out of mold.
I get rid of mold the way I get rid of roaches. Treat, kill, and retreat if necessary. Dead roaches are ok. I just need to sweep them up. Live ones mean I need to retreat. People don’t run screaming when they see a dead roach because they know how to treat them. Why is mold such a mystery, conjuring up visions of hazmat guys in bio suits?
I always discolse that my houses have mold. I live in Florida and chances are that mold is growing somewhere in the house. I leave it up to my buyers to do their due dilligence, get an inspection, and figure out if it’s really a problem for them. Unless you’re a mold expert, don’t speculate about how much the mold may or may not have spread. If you see a spot, disclose it that you know about the spot. If you know what’s causing it, disclose it–better yet, fix it. If you don’t see it, you can’t very well disclose it. BTW, you should (must) disclose what you have knowledge of, wheter or not you call the health department. Disclosure protects you. Disclose it. Then it’s up to your buyers to decide what’s an acceptable risk for them.
I personally don’t give thousand dollar discounts for something that requires $2 in bleach (I mean TSP) and a few minutes with a scrub brush, if you know what I mean. But then, if the problem is really that simple, I take care ot.
I really have caution you about some advice given here:
Mold doesn’t grow and spread unless it has: 1. moisture, 2. food. Unfortunately, most drywall is all the food those suckers need. Fortunately, solving moisture problems usually solves the mold problem. Easy! No moisture, no mold. Oh, you may have old inactive stains (like old termite damage <> live infestations), just cover 'em up. If mold is spreading, you’ve got moisture in those areas. Roaches, on the other hand–those damn things really do spread on their own.
Under no circumstances should you call your health department! What the hell for? Health departments will only do what they know how to do with mold: 1. innoculate it, 2. misdiagnose it, 3. ask for more funding to study it, 4. quarantine it, 5. give you a free pamphlet on it. None of these are worthwhile. And, you’ll still have mold in the house when they’re done with it.
I don’t know what county is seizing property because of mold and tearing it down. It sounds very unconstitutual to me, not to mention very ignorant. But then most of our modern day government operates outside the bounds of the constitution (another topic). And they’ve demonstrated their unlimited capacity for mindless action on many occasions. So, what’s new?
Treat, fix, disclose. That will do 'er!
JImbo