Are you in the market for a new home? When looking for that perfect house for you and your family, what all are you looking into? As you start to check off the boxes for the number of bedrooms, square footage, and if you like the paint color, begin to think behind the walls. When you are buying a house, remember that there is much more than meets the eye. It is important to get the house inspected in its entirety. Try not to get your heart set on something until you know all the details, including finding out if the house has mold.
You may not spot it on the exterior or interior of the home, but with mold, that does not mean much.
Typical places for mold to lurk in a home are in the bathrooms, near pipes, under cabinets, in the roof, or within the walls. Anywhere humidity finds a home, mold can be forming. As you are looking at the different aspects of the home, a mold test is a must so you know what you are getting into.
Most mold is treatable and you can deal with it in a timely manner. However, some mold may be a lot more serious and add a few extra weeks or months to your move in date; if you still want the house.
Signs of mold
As you are walking through your dream house and all the dots are connecting in your head, you start to smell something musky… there is no way this can be. Although it looks perfect from the outside, there may be mold behind those walls.
Some signs of mold in a home are:
Visible mold growth
Musky odor
Signs of water damage
Flooding history
If you have an inkling that there may be mold in your home, mention it during the home inspection. At this time, you can have your tests done and have a thorough investigation of the home.
Effects of Mold
Find out exactly what you are walking into. Other than it looking gross and off-putting, mold can cause major health issues. Although they may not be life threatening, you could definitely notice some negative changes in your health. Allergies are a big concern when walking through a home.
It is also important to note that everyone has a different response to mold. Although you may not have any symptoms, your spouse or children could be having severe symptoms. If you choose to move forward with buying the home, make sure to take things slow. Do not invite people over to the home who are elderly, pregnant, or have prior immune deficiencies. The next step is to find out what is causing the mold!
Where is it Coming From?
During your home inspection is usually when you will find out that there is mold in the home. Time to find out the answers to these questions… How bad is it? How much mold is there? What type of mold is it? What is causing it? What are the health risks involved?
& How much is it going to cost to fix it?
Once you find out how much mold there is and where it is in your home, you can get a better gauge on things. The type of mold is good to know for your family and your health. At the same time, getting the right treatment and getting rid of it is the most important thing.
Finding out where the mold is coming from or why it is populating in the home is the tricky part. The majority of the time, it comes from a water/pipe or humidity issue. If there is water leaking, it is a breeding ground for mold. Most of the time this happens underneath a sink, in a crawl space or behind a wall. If it is an easy fix to adjust the water system or a leaking pipe, you can move forward after both parties involved decide how to fix it. If it is not an easy discovery, it may take a lot more time and resources to find the problem.
But it is a New House!
Whether your dream home is 50 years old, or brand new, mold has no boundaries. A lot of people do not even consider the fact that there could be mold in their new, constructed house. The main cause of mold in a new home goes back to an issue in the foundation. It is actually pretty common to spot mold in a new home. Why? A lot of these construction companies work to get these homes built very quick. When this happens, errors can occur. Water can get trapped inside barriers which leads to mold growing inside the walls.
How do you know if your new home has mold? Here are some signs to look for…
Peeling Paint
Stains on your ceiling or on your walls
Soft drywall
If you notice any of these things in your new home, there could be a major mold problem. Getting a proper mold test done is step one. Let our team help you to find out exactly what is going on this is new, or older home.
If you find your dream home but discover mold, don’t walk away so fast. There are solutions we can help with so that you can move forward into the home you have always wanted.