What to Do if You Are Selling Your Home and Find Mold
Updated: Feb 22, 2019
Selling a home can bring with it an array of mixed feelings ranging from happiness to sadness, stress or relief. It is a big deal and once the decision is made to sell a home, the to-do lists get longer and longer. But what happens when you’re moving forward with selling your home and you discover you have mold growing?
Mold can grow fairly easily wherever there is moisture, which makes the likelihood of it growing in homes very possible. Once you find mold growth, it should be handled quickly and responsibly.
Over the years as mold research has made us aware of the potential dangers that mold can cause, it is no surprise that the real estate professionals pay close attention to matter when helping clients sell or purchase homes.
Black mold, or the scientific name stachybotrys chartarum is one of the most dangerous types of mold. It is disgusting to look at but even worse, it poses major health risks and in the world of real estate presents liability risks.
How Mold Could Affect Your Home Sale
In the world of real estate, the brokers and agents are responsible for divulging any known information about a property. And, as someone who is selling a home, you should protect yourself from liability and handle the mold situation in a trustworthy and moral manner.
The first step is getting the mold growth issue taken care of. And due to the fact that mold has been found, it may require that you lower the price of the home while also relaying details about the mold assessment and removal performed. In doing so, you will exempt yourself from obligation should the mold reappear after you sell the home.
Discovering the existence of mold does scare buyers away; sometimes quite rapidly. With the countless reports, continuously advancing research and nightmare stories on the news and online regarding the dangers of mold, it should be no surprise that people run the other way.
Unfortunately for homeowners this is a reality and an ever-growing concern, especially in home sales. Everyone has seen mold on that forgotten item that got pushed to the back of the fridge for far too long. That is a common species of mold and not nearly as toxic as the black mold mentioned earlier.
Prevent and Destroy Mold
With the small amount of humidity necessary for mold growth, it easily develops under sink areas, in basements, and bathrooms and practically anywhere in an area that has moisture. The best way to prevent mold is to control the humidity in your home year round.
Also by routinely changing air filters, maintaining plumbing fixtures, and alleviating any moisture buildup the moment you see it will prevent mold from growing and spreading.
However, once you do find mold, rely on the experts to deal with the problem. There is virtually no way for you to properly handle a mold issue on your own; especially when selling your home. Protect yourself from liability and protect others as well by letting the mold experts rectify the mold issue, so you can sell your home with peace of mind.
