If you’re thinking about selling your home, you first need to know the exact condition of all of your home’s structural components, appliances, and systems. This includes knowing whether or not there is mold in your home. Though mold can be tricky to spot while you’re living in your home, homebuyers usually hire professional inspectors to search for problems in the house that they’re planning on purchasing.
What Happens When Mold Is Discovered?
First, the bad news: a home will usually not pass an inspection if it has mold in it. Mold can present a serious health hazard to residents, and a major mold infestation can even degrade the structural integrity of the home if left untreated for too long.
If a basement inspection in Philadelphia reveals that your home has a mold problem, the buyer may demand that you invest in comprehensive mold removal as a condition of the sale. Most offer letters include clauses that allow the buyer to back out of the sale if a home doesn’t pass a home inspection, so refusing to correct the problem could result in a loss of any good faith payment the buyer has already submitted into escrow.
In some cases, if the mold problem in your home is large enough, a failed inspection can mean that the buyer cannot use a government-backed loan to complete the purchase and will be forced by their mortgage lender to stop the sale. This would result in the complete loss of the sale and remove the home from other potential buyers that were going to utilize government-backed loans for the home purchase.
How Do Inspectors Find Mold in a Home?
Many times it isn’t very difficult to find mold in a home. Home inspectors will first check in cabinets, behind appliances, underneath sinks and washing appliances for any signs of a mold problem. Additionally, in the case where mold is suspected but not visibly apparent through standard inspection, gaps between the drywall and other hard-to-reach spaces will be looked out for potential mold issues.
It’s important to note that in certain regions of the country, home inspectors may not sign any paperwork indicating a mold problem. If it is determined at a later date that a mold problem wasn’t present, they would be held legally accountable for improperly listing the home as having a mold problem. Yet, if mold is apparent, home inspectors for the most part will indicate that mold is present in the residence.
Do Home Inspectors Look for Mold?
Home inspectors are not looking outright for mold when going over a property. Yet, if the history of the home includes water damage, more than likely an inspector will make it part of their inspection. Many times, if a realtor suspects a mold problem, they’ll commission the home inspector to specifically look for any signs of mold during the inspection. Any positive findings will be noted on the final report.
Rightway Waterproofing: Your Source for Premier Waterproofing Services in Philadelphia and the Surrounding Areas
Now, the good news. Even if you do have mold in your home, you won’t need to spend a lot of money having it removed when you work with Rightway Waterproofing. With comprehensive PA and NJ mold removal available at an affordable price, your first call should be to Rightway Waterproofing if you believe you have mold in your home. We also offer emergency services in case your home was impacted by water damage. To schedule your appointment or inspection, contact us now!
