Mold in the house I want to buy

I want to buy a house that has mold in it. Do I really have to pay over $1000.00 to have someone come out and take a sample then write a report on how to remove it? How can I be sure I hire a good company for removal that knows what their doing? This all brick house was built in 1978, has not (from the looks of it) been updated since the 80’s and the carpet is filthy. The mold is visible on the heat/ac vents, looks like dust on the paneling and so on. I would have the flooring removed and have a company remove the mold, but I don’t know if I should have it tested, and do not know of a good company in my area (Salisbury, NC) to call. Thanks for reading this, I look forward to a reply!

If you are concerned about the $1,000 to write a mold remediation protocol, then you will not like the price the contractor will charge for the removal of the mold. $1,000 is just a smal faction of the cost of having the mold properly removed. If mold is through out the housing, testing is not really needed, unless the remediator’s insurance requires it. You just need a mold expert to write a letter giving the basic steps to remove the mold, or it may be cheaper to tear down the house.
Ask the local mold remediators who they use, and if all can be avoided, due not use the remediators that referred you to that mold assessor. And you need to pay the mold assesor directly and do not allow the remediator pay the assessor, due to the conflict of interest that can occur.

Mold needs water to grow. Fix the water leak first. That is the problem.

Exactly. You need to know all the costs associated with the home you intend to buy. That is the real price of the home.

It is difficult to assess your situation just from your thread. First, don’t confuse or assume that dust and dirt build up on vents is mold, although there is probably some mold in the dirt and dust as there is mold in all of the air that we breath. 2nd, old carpets do deteriorate and deteriorated fibers get in the air and may also appear to be mold. Most deterioration of carpets is caused by some form of mold as are the deteriorating leaves in your front yard. Again, this is mold doing as nature intended. 3rd, dust on the paneling could be some type of mold, but again, it could also be dust, dirt or dust mites that is clinging to the paneling. If the house has been closed up for a while, some moisture (condensation) may have developed on the paneling and anything floating through the air has a tendency to stick to this damp surface. When I say damp, it may not feel damp or wet to the touch, but because of a lack of air flow in a closed house some moisture may appear on the panels surface. Some wood polishes/waxes also have a tendency to remain “wet” and again, dust/dirt could cling to the surface and appear to be mold. My advise, have a good indoor air quality professional evaluate the home and then discuss the options with him/her. Options could be air sampling, complete remediation or just some TLC and cleaning of the home that could be performed by the home owner.