MOLD FEE's

[Dan Bowers, CMI]

This week I've had 2 different sets of people call, tell me the house they're buying has mold and that the lender or appraiser has required mold testing prior to proceeding. Their next question is HOW MUCH.

I gave each a price. They immediately said something like:

"Thats way TOO much. We already had 1 guy quote us $75 to test and another quote $65, BUT they couldn't get to us for a week, so we're trying to find someone else".

AFTER 10 minutes of me explaining that for $65 - $75 you're getting zippo, they politely said thank you and hung up on me.

[Michael Larson]

What testing is the lender or appraiser requiring and why?

They already know they have mold.

[John Harrison]

Originally Posted by mlarson

What testing is the lender or appraiser requiring and why?

They already know they have mold.

They are probably looking for some sort of mold identification or level of hazard.

I have heard multiple people state that you only need to worry about the black mold, white looking mold is easier to clean, as long as the test levels are low you are not in danger, blah blah blah.

When asked personally what I think, I state that all mold should be looked at the same, remidiated and eliminated.

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by jharrison

They are probably looking for some sort of mold identification or level of hazard.

I have heard multiple people state that you only need to worry about the black mold, white looking mold is easier to clean, as long as the test levels are low you are not in danger, blah blah blah.

When asked personally what I think, I state that all mold should be looked at the same, remidiated and eliminated.

A home inspector has no ability to provide that service.

[John Harrison]

Originally Posted by mlarson

A home inspector has no ability to provide that service.

Not saying we do.

Not everyone you encounter is going to know what your limitations or boundaries are.
inform the client of what you can or can not do, assist them is finding the solution to thier problem.

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by jharrison

Not saying we do.

Not everyone you encounter is going to know what your limitations or boundaries are.
inform the client of what you can or can not do, assist them is finding the solution to thier problem.

I certainly do but the original posts seems to indicate that mold testing would tell them something useful.

Who will determine the significance of any test results?

Will the appraiser or lender?

[awakefield]

When the Bank knows that a house has a potential mold issue, their protocal is to get the buyer to do testing to shift liability. When you, the buyer, test you know the results. If you buy, it's on you.

In this situation I always recommend that the buyer go a step further and get a full mold inspection. Knowing the souce of the problem is unltimately more important than mold type for the buyer. This justifies the higher ticket.....for me $375 for the mold inspection which includes 2 test, then $75 per additional test.

[ldapkus]

Many appraisers note mold or suspected mold growth in their appraisals and the banks request confirmation. I had one where an appraiser noted moss growing on an exterior chimney. The seller pressure washed the moss off of the chimney. The bank requested confirmation of the clean up. I did a visual confirmation of no visible growth. $275 please, Thank you.

[James E. Braun, CMI]

I will not pull just a few mold samples for no less than $125.00 a piece. There is too much liability to do it for so little money. I have gone behind several mold inspectors (I call them Prolab wonders) that actually cleared mold remediation jobs for about $75.00 a sample and the homeowner is still sick after they cleared the job. The remediator has already got paid, so fat chance getting him to come back and do the job right. Sad but true.

[Sean Fogarty]

What testing is the lender or appraiser requiring and why?

They already know they have mold.

No they don't. Did someone test the fungal groth to confirm its mold???

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by sfogarty

No they don't. Did someone test the fungal groth to confirm its mold???

Original post that started this thread

This week I've had 2 different sets of people call, tell me the house they're buying has mold

[RONALD E. DUNBAR]

No one seems concerned why the mold is there.Your spin to your fee is to determine why it is there,and how and why to get ride of it.

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by rdunbar

No one seems concerned why the mold is there.Your spin to your fee is to determine why it is there,and how and why to get ride of it.

Whenever mold is mentioned by a client I am careful to explain how important it is to determine why the mold is there.

The mold is a result of conducive conditions.

[ldapkus]

It's a moisture issue.

[Dan Bowers, CMI]

Michael -

The appraiser in 1 case and home inspector in another case noted mold like growth. The lender has NOW made a mandatory requirement to go forward.

They want to know what type; how much compared to the outside air; etc; etc before they go forward on the loan.

Until we see the house, we got no idea who, what, when and where.

AND until we take samples nobody has an idea of the significance of whats there. Therefore they call a NON-repair person for testing.