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GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) - Kerri and Jason Brown discovered a secret room behind a bookcase containing a homeowner’s worst nightmare - mold. Also in the room was a handwritten note: “You found it!” What the Browns found was a mold problem so serious the previous owner was forced to move, according to the note.
Fearing their young daughter’s health, the Browns hired an environmental engineer who detected high levels of several types of mold, including a black mold fungus called Stachybotrys.
“It terrified me,” Kerri Brown told WYFF-TV in Greenville. “I had heard reports of what it does for children, and I was terrified.”
The Browns said a home inspection done before they bought it did not include a mold test.
The Browns filed a lawsuit claiming Century 21 Flynn & Youngblood, real estate agent Sue Bakx and Fannie Mae (FNM](http://finance.myway.com/jsp/qt/short.jsp?symbol_search_text=FNM)) knew about the mold.
Fannie Mae, the Federal National Mortgage Association, bought the Brown’s home for $75,000 and will be dropped from the lawsuit. The family plans to continue the suit against Century 21 Flynn & Youngblood and real estate agent Sue Bakx. Both the company and the agent told the television station they didn’t know anything about the mold. A telephone call to Century 21 was referred to Bakx, who did not immediately return a telephone message Friday.
They ought to be going after the seller as obviously they knew about the mold and the secret room judging on the snotty note they left. If they knew and did not disclose it then they are the most culpable party.
So they found a room with large mold colonies in it. Big deal. Anyone experiencing any health problems? It doesn’t say so.
They didn’t sue the seller who failed to disclose visible colonies?
It sounds like they found a grow room. Doesn’t cost $75,000 to rip out and replace drywall/insulation in a grow room.
This looks like an article designed to sell newspapers and magazines.
If you have a flood in your basement because of a busted pipe. The insurance company pays for clean up and repair. It is obvious that there are no more busted pipes after clean up, plus any later pipe bursts are obvious.
However, what about mold because of a humidity problem. The insurance company pays for a clean up, and fixes the cause…? What by buying a dehumidifier? How do you certify the home ‘mold free?’ Will there be a humidity alarm installed?
Put simply, once a home has any type of mold claim on it, this is a one time option, since it will forever become a ‘pre-existing’ condition for later policies.
So, in jest, I was told the best option is fire, to the ground.
Here in Canada mould is excluded from policies if is a humidity issue ,ground water,etc. Mould remediation is covered if it is a result of water damaged caused by a burst pipe. Doug
