When purchasing a home, your mortgage lender will likely require several different types of home inspections before finalizing the purchase. However, most lenders do not specifically require a mold inspection. This does not mean that mold testing isn't a good idea.
Knowing when to get a mold test done can help to ensure you are not purchasing a home that is going to require extensive and often expensive mold removal. The following factors can help you to decide if mold testing services are appropriate for the specific property that you are considering.
How Long Has The House Been Vacant?
When a home sits vacant for an extended period of time, humidity can build up inside the home. Since mold spores thrive in moist climates, this increased humidity inside unoccupied homes can result in mold growth.
If the home you wish to purchase has been left unoccupied for several months or longer, it is a good idea to have the home tested for mold before closing on the property.
Has The HVAC System Been Cleaned Recently?
While mold growing on the walls or ceilings of a home can be relatively easy to spot with the naked eye, colonies of mold spores hiding inside the ducts of an HVAC system can be much harder to detect through a basic visual inspection.
Ask the current homeowner or real estate agent about service records for the home's HVAC system. If it has been more than a year since the air ducts were cleaned, having these ducts inspected for mold is a good idea. This is especially true in homes that use a forced air heating and cooling system since any existing mold spores can become airborne and distributed throughout the home when the system is turned on, Breathing in certain types of mold can be harmful to your health and the health of your family. The only way to know for sure if any of these potentially dangerous species of mold are present is through a mold testing service.
Has The Home Suffered Water Damage?
Someone who is looking to sell a home may not be in a hurry to disclose past water damage but there are some hints that you can pick up on that may indicate this type of damage has occurred. For instance, if the homeowner boasts about the all new plumbing that was installed in the kitchen last year, this could be an indication that the home suffered a broken pipe which required extensive repairs and likely resulted in some water damage.
Since water damaged walls and ceilings can be a great breeding ground for mold, homes that have suffered this type of damage should be inspected prior to purchase.
Reach out to a mold testing service to see if your home has mold.
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