Hi-- I hope you can help. I am interested in a house not on, but near a lake. The entire property is pretty much ledge. This is a vacated, I think bank owned property that sold for a little over 200,000 in August of this year. I've been told a lot of these homes are coverted cottages---
Problems--the house smells like a wet basement--there is a greenish mold growing on the bathroom door and I saw a blackish mold growing near the baseboard, near the heating element. The paneling is bowed in the hallway either from poor construction or moisture. The ceiling in the living room was installed improperly and will have to be replaced. The real problem is that it is for my son and even with all that we really like the place!! The house was 151 now reduced to 127,000. My questions---am I crazy to even consider this house, knowing it has potential mold problems?? Is there a price that would make it worth the investment? Should I be concerned about constant moisture because the property is mostly rock and it is near a lake? (maybe less than 1/4 mile away) If I thought I could get rid of the mold the place has potential-- HELP-- I really need some feedback--it is also worth noting my son can do a lot of the construction work himself.

Your time line doesn't make sense ! If it sold for $200,000 in August of 2008, and this is November, 2008 . . . . there simply hasn't been time for a Delinquency followed by a Foreclosure, then a Listing at $151,000 which required a Reduction to $127,000 - all within just 12 or 14 weeks ? Doesn't Compute !

Thanks for the reply. After I read your reply I emailed the listing agent asking him how could a house be sold in Aug. and foreclosed soon after.

He said it doesn't matter why, it is foreclosed. what do you think of that reply. Maybe the bank bought it for 216? Not sure what happened--he also said there was an offer in on it---- I was just curious as to what you thought of his answer.

I think my own thoughts on that "answer" are of too little value to post here; but if you are curious, you can go to the Town or County Land Records and read what has actually transpired on that property recently (during the past 2 years or so). These records should have all been recorded and now be of Public Record; and should not cost you much to access. (I think Connecticut may charge you an hourly rate for your time in the Vault - so read fast!)

After doing that research, you may know more about the Property than the Listing Agent. And you'll know if you're dealing with a Liar. Once someone lies to you, you can't trust anything else that they send forth; so go away and Count your Blessings !

Regarding "Mold", do a search using the box to the right, and you'll have plenty of current opinions regarding what can be done about it. I'd rather deal with Mold than deal with a Liar ! (Just an aside.)

What you saw might be mold or it might be mildew. If it is mold it might be one of the thousands of harmless molds or it could be the deadly type.

The only real way to know for sure is to have it tested by a professional certified mold remediation company. Make sure your contract has a contingency for passing a mold test and then you will know for sure.

The best advice I can give to you is don't move ahead with any of the sale negotiations until you have a proper inspection done of the house. The inspection will let you know how much of the house could be tarnished by mold or the amount money you are going to have to put in the house to fix it.

Larissa Rubijevsky


http://www.pvview4u.com

Here in Minnesota, we do always encourage our buyers to do a full home inspection, and as needed, have a certified mold remediation company come in as well.

Once the buyer is able to complete these inspections, he or she can make an informed decision on the purchase of the real estate. If it makes sense at the price offered, etc.

I hope this helps!

Good morning, Quest:

Frankly, mould is not your biggest problem as “Vermont” pointed out –

Contrary to the comment by “Bigtoe,” there is no such thing as “deadly mould” and “testing” is performed almost exclusively by get-rich-quick “Mold is Gold” charlatans. Legitimate mould assessments almost never involve “testing” and legitimate mould experts almost never perform “tests.” Finally, legitimate mould experts very seldom have the word “certified” before their title. Typically, only poorly trained consultants have the title “certified mould…” whatevers.

The LAST person on earth you should have perform a mould inspection is a “certified mould remediation” company. My extensive experience is that they will always conclude one thing: “It’s toxic mould and you need to spend enormous amounts of money on remediation.” This will be the conclusion even if it’s not mould, and no remediation is warranted.

I have addressed mould sampling and testing here:
http://forensic-applications.com/moulds/sampling.html

Cheers!
Caoimhín P. Connell
Forensic Industrial Hygienist
www.forensic-applications.com

(The opinions expressed here are exclusively my personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect my professional opinion, opinion of my employer, agency, peers, or professional affiliates. The above post is for information only and does not reflect professional advice and is not intended to supercede the professional advice of others.)

AMDG

Caoimhín - I couldn't agree more.

It should go without saying that any inspection done on a house, whether it is for mould or structural issues, is done by someone who will not be doing the repairs/remediation.

When we real estate agents use the term certified, we use it to say that the person hired to do the inspection, whether it is for mould or structural issues, has been trained and holds some kind of certification that they are capable of performing the inspection.

A Forensic Industrial Hygienist is just one type of certification.

Good point, Bigtoe...

With the caveat that in the U.S. and Canada, a 9 year old child, (or a grocery clerk, or a garage door installer, etc), with NO training whatsoever in indoor mould, mycology, sampling, or mould inspections can sit down at their home computer and print out a "certificate" that officially declares them to be a “Certified Mould Inspector.” And now with complete legitimacy the can call themselves a CMIS, or a CMRA, or a CMIRS, or a variety of other meaningless initials and market themselves as a “certified” mould inspector. Although there are several private companies that issue certificates, there are NO recognized authoritative organizations that issue such "certificates." In fact, tomorrow, you could set up the "Bigtoe International Mould Association" and start issuing your own certificates.

Unquestionably, the LAST person you want performing a building assessment for mould is a “certified” mould inspector. Without exception, the WORST mould inspections that I have seen have been performed by consultants bearing the title CRMI, and CMI, and other similar initials. (And I have been doing this for 20 years). In fact, I have NEVER, without exception, EVER, seen where a certified mould inspector EVER performed a legitimate assessment for mould. Here is an actual critical review of such a such an “expert” (placed in the internet by the client).

http://inspection-perfection.com/main/pdf/critical%20review%20test%20results.pdf

Cheers!
Caoimhín P. Connell
Forensic Industrial Hygienist
www.forensic-applications.com

(The opinions expressed here are exclusively my personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect my professional opinion, opinion of my employer, agency, peers, or professional affiliates. The above post is for information only and does not reflect professional advice and is not intended to supercede the professional advice of others.)

AMDG

Mold can be irradicated. The extent of the mold would be the issue and how likely is it to resurface? My opinion is not to mess with a property like this. Good luck!

Not sure this house is worth it when there's a ton of better houses on the market. Remember, let your head rule, not your heart.

Guest: Short answer to whether you should make an offer on that house is "No."

There are lots of houses on the market. Surely you can find one that you like that is a lot less hassle.

Just to clarify - The services being offered by AirMD Mold Test (see the above post) are are more consistent with junk science and are not legitimate "tests." The US EPA recommends AGAINST such sampling, so does the World Health Organization, so the American Industrial Hygiene Association, so does the US Center for Disease Control, and so does a large majority of state health departments.

Essentially, the only people who are performing “air tests” for mould are snake-oil sales men and charlatans who often call themselves “certified mold inspectors” and/or a variety of other names. In most states, a nine year old child could draw a "mould certificate" in crayon, declaring themselves a “certified mould inspector” and, legally they are since they have a “certificate” to prove it.

Legitimate mould experts, on the other hand virtually NEVER perform sampling of any kind since it is virtually NEVER needed, and is almost always useless.

We have discussed this scam in detail here:

http://forensic-applications.com/moulds/sampling.html

and

http://www.forensic-applications.com/moulds/mvue.html


Cheers!
Caoimhín P. Connell
Forensic Industrial Hygienist
www.forensic-applications.com

(The opinions expressed here are exclusively my personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect my professional opinion, opinion of my employer, agency, peers, or professional affiliates. The above post is for information only and does not reflect professional advice and is not intended to supercede the professional advice of others.)

AMDG

How does one protect a Home Owner from Mold Assessment Technicians who take their samples (for several hundred dollars) . . . . and then give estimates of what it will take to remediate these terrible conditions, which only they are now intimately familiar with and uniquely qualified to resolve (for several thousand dollars) ?

The Sample Taker (now remediation specialist) will guarantee his work because he will include the same battery of tests that were taken in the original assessment, and before getting the contract to correct the problem, after doing the work.

In the instance I'm currently working, the question of mold resulted in the performance of some tests being conducted for $825, and now the estimate for alleviating the problem is at $35,000 to $40,000 . . . . and the property has now been irreversibly tarnished - or even stigmatized - with the description of being contaminated with mold when the laboratory results are barely interpretable by anyone other than the Tester rendering the report.

Other Contractors, who might perform remediation for less, are hesitant to offer the same guarantee because they didn't have control over that initial set of tests which their work will now be compared against. It's a Catch-22.

Hello Vermont –

I realize this is an older thread, but you question remained unanswered, and the topic is still timely.

For a start, a legitimate Industrial Hygienist or other professional legitimately capable of performing a mould assessment, won’t give a price for remediation since a legitimate inspector won’t know – it’s not their job.

Secondly, about 90% of the “mould remediation” projects I have seen (and I have seen about 600 mould projects), were unnecessary. In many of the “mould remediation projects” I’ve seen, there wasn’t even a mould problem. Usually some knucklehead “Certified Mould Inspector” (or other meaningless title) has collected meaningless and bogus samples (or performed some other bogus “mould test”) and the test is “positive” and recommend mould remediation.

Considering the fact that virtually any mould test will always be “positive” this is a remediator’s dream come true, and it is also why a legitimate mould inspector will virtually NEVER collect samples – samples and “tests” are the bailiwick of the mould scam artist, not a legitimate inspector.

If you are interested in learning the truth of “mould remediation” take a look at this: http://www.forensic-applications.com/moulds/remediation.html

Most “mould remediation” can be done by a handy-man, or regular general contractor, or DIY kind of guy. The moon suits, respirators, negative pressure enclosures, biocides and the lot are just a gimmick and virtually never needed.

Caoimhín P. Connell
Forensic Industrial Hygienist
www.forensic-applications.com

(The opinions expressed here are exclusively my personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect my professional opinion, opinion of my employer, agency, peers, or professional affiliates. The above post is for information only and does not reflect professional advice and is not intended to supercede the professional advice of others.)

AMDG