Are you doing Mold wrong?

Donald Clendaniel

No one likes to hear the house they are looking at has mold, even worse is to hear the house you live in has mold. Mold has been a hot topic in recent years and some estimate as many as one out of every two homes have mold growth somewhere. Most home inspectors will spot mold if it’s there during an inspection and refer to a professional for further evaluation. In New York State that means a licensed mold assessor. Nothing happens until an assessment report is obtained. This means another inspection and another fee. Some home inspectors are also licensed as mold assessors and may offer to write the additional report for fees of $300 -$400 to be paid at the time of the inspection. How well does that go over? Finding mold could double the cost of the inspection, and everything comes to a halt if the buyer can’t or won’t pay for the additional report. And who can blame them, they haven’t even seen the inspection report yet, what if there are other things that need attention? Many times, finding mold means more money, more time, more trips to the house, and more problems to discuss. There must be a better way.

A better way to handle mold at a home inspection…

When we at Carey Home Inspection discover mold during a home inspection we include the initial mold assessment with the home inspection report, at no additional cost. This eliminates the need for another inspection before a remediator can be called. It also means no additional fee at the time of the inspection. What’s best is instead of talking about a major problem, we are all talking about a planned solution. In some cases, remediators have even been calls at the inspection and the mold was removed within a few days resulting in no delay in closing. After the remediator is finished we return to reinspect for clearance, often required for the remediators warranty, we charge a reduced fee of only $250 at that time. Meaning we don’t get paid until all the work is done and the problem is solved. If the buyer chooses not to move forward, there is never a charge for the initial assessment. Why do we do it? Because we are here to help our clients understand the home they are buying, and move through the process. To us, it just seems like the right thing to do. With as many as one out of every two homes possibly having mold, consider calling us first to inspect everything.

Carey Home inspection, Licensed: Home Inspection, Mold Assessment, Termite Inspection, Certified: Radon, Well, and Water Test also.