Last Updated on May 25, 2015
There has been an increased concern about indoor exposure to mold. A mold is a fungus that normally grows in multi-cellular filaments known as hyphae. Exposure to mold is linked to a variety of health effects such as allergic reactions and respiratory diseases such as asthma. They are found anywhere and they can grow on any organic substance provided that there is oxygen and moisture. This calls for regular mold inspection. It is important to do a mold inspection you are buying a house. So if you are planning to buy a house in the near future then here are the tips on how to go about inspecting mold.
Inspect all the rooms
As stated above, molds grow everywhere and this calls for a thorough inspection of all the rooms in the house that you are planning to buy. You need to figure out if there are any sign of molds. Be keen on moist areas since these are the places which have a high probability of mold growth. When there is an increased accumulation of moisture in buildings there will definitely be mold growth and so you need to focus your attention in these areas.
Mold has this tendency of growing in hidden areas such as floors, ceilings or areas in between walls and you need to be on the lookout when it comes to this. They might not be very visible and so you need to be keen in order to find out whether they are there.
You should also note that the location of the house will not affect the growth of mold. So whether you are planning to buy a house in the desert or in a very humid place inspection is a must.
Research on mold
Not many people know about mold and you might not have enough knowledge on mold related issues as well. But if you are planning to buy a house you must have information on this. You might not have seen the importance on researching on mold before but you now have a reason to.
In this era of the internet, it will not be hard for you get hold of this information. You should conduct research on causes of mold, areas where mold is found as well as health effects of mold. With this information then you will be able to know how to do a mold inspection in the house that you would like to buy and where to find help. Mold inspection is not a complex task but you need to have knowledge of how to go about it. You can also get information on mold inspection from blogs. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of articles for you online.
Hire a professional
In as much as you have done a mold inspection individually, you will need a professional to this again especially if you are sure whether you did it to perfection. A professional who has been doing this before is in a better position to carry out such an exercise. A professional will also detect any signs of mold or its possible presence. You might not know the common signs of mold but a professional has all this knowledge. You should therefore consider hiring one if you are thinking of buying a home.
Additionally, don’t just hire any mold inspector. Hire an expert. There are many mold inspection companies and you need to get the best. You don’t want to move in a house only to discover that there is mold after two months. Get an expert who will not disappoint you and if you need to pay an extra coin to get the best, do that.
Interview the seller
The seller is the only person who can give you a good history of the house and you need to have a personal conservation with him or her so that you can know whether there are mold related issues linked to the home.
In areas where it is a requirement by law to disclose mold information to the buyer, this will be an easy task for you. You will interview the seller and the get the information that you require about possible cases of mold. The seller might not have gone round the house inspecting it, but the information on history of the house will be useful to you.
The situation may be difficult if it’s not a requirement by law for a seller to disclose mold information. All in all you will still need to get relevant information on mold from the seller. What you need to remember is to ask indirect questions to the seller and then you will be able to make a final mold judgment based on that. Ask general questions such as pipe burst and then based on the response you will know whether there could possibly be molds in the house.
Now that you have been informed on mold inspection, you might probably want to hire a contractor to do a mold inspection for a house that you are planning to buy. We offer mold inspection services and we are based in Toronto. Customer satisfaction is our priority!