Environmental Mold Inspections What a Home Buyer Must Carefully Look For!

Environmental Mold Inspections are very important in today's Foreclosure Market. With so many homes that are being repossessed, there are a lot of vacant homes on the market today. Vacant homes mean one thing, the homeowner is not maintaining the home properly and this means possible mold.

Recently, we received a request from one of our clients to check out a home for possible mold in Vero Beach, Fl. They were buying the home in as-is condition with rights of inspection. The home was less than 5 years old and we were told it had no history of water leaks. The realtor informed us that the homeowner refurbished the home less than two years ago because they did not like the original cabinets. When someone says the homeowner replaces three year old cabinets to me, this is a Red Flag to possible water issues in the home. First Red Flag.

The Home Inspector had checked the home out and said their were only a few minor problems with the home. There were roof tiles broken by the fireplace chimney that needed to be fixed but he said the roof was intact except for that location. The next problem area in this job was the broken roof tiles by the chimney. Second Red Flag

Weather History of an area is important in this business especially for my clients. This house went thru 4 hurricanes since 2004. My experience with chimneys in South Florida is that they are improperly installed and not braced properly to withstand hurricane force winds. They tend to fail during high winds such as a hurricane.This one was the third Red Flag for me.

The interior of the house looked pristine with no visible problems. It was tiled in the Living Room and around the fireplace. Looked great to the normal eye. New paint, perfect condition to the visible eye. If there is a flood in a home that lasts for an extended period of time, the thin-set under the tiles tends to fail and hollow spots will start to develop. Tapping on the tiles revealed multiple hollow spots under the tiles. Red Flag number four, this one is pretty serious.The hollow spots were all around the fireplace and adjoining walls.

I recommended to my client that we do extensive Microbial Testing in this area around the chimney. Microbial Testing of the interior walls within 10 feet of the fireplace revealed elevated levels of Chaetomium mold. Chaetomium requires high levels of moisture to grow, thus this area was part of an undisclosed flood area. You guessed it, my client walked away from the deal, thus saving thousands of dollars in hidden microbial damage remediation costs.

In conclusion, the moral of the story is not to believe everything you are told about a home, especially one that is vacant. Some homeowners will tell you the truth, while others will not tell you the whole truth. An Environmental Microbial Inspection is important tool to find all the hidden problems in a home. A Home Inspection is adequate in most cases but not always as you saw from this home. Adequate Environmental Microbial Testing is always required to make the right decision. When in doubt, always have your home tested by a qualified firm to do Environmental Mold Testing especially when it is vacant.

If you have any questions, feel free to call us or visit our website.

To learn more about your home, visit our website at http://www.safe-homes.com or http://www.air-testing.com

Mr. Art Emiss is available as a professional speaker to help educate your community or group function on Asthma, Allergies or Indoor Air Quality.