Well, here's a first for me. I just closed yesterday on the purchase by my buyer (whom we'll call "Annie") of a newly constructed home. We did our walk-through in the morning with the builder/seller and his agent, and Annie's father, a retired public works engineer. Annie works for a geotechnical engineering company and was especially sensitive to soils conditions when she chose the location of her new home to be. During construction, which started in November, about the time our unusually rainy and snowy winter started. Annie inspected the site off and on throughout construction, often accompanied by a friend and colleague from her company. At one point in time, she was advised the crawl space was significantly moist, probably due to rain and melting snow. She and I voiced our concerns to the seller's agent, who accommodated Annie's request to place a fan in the crawl space to ensure it got dried out and stayed dry. During our final walk-through yesterday morning, the fan was still going on in the crawl space, but no one actually went down to inspect.
So, first thing this morning I get a phone call from Annie, primarily just to keep me in the loop. After our closing late yesterday afternoon, Annie returned to her new home where she had, during the course of the day, moved about 95% of her belongings from the old house. She and her young daughters and parents visiting from Denver were about to settle in and celebrate, when another friend and colleague of Annie's came in and immediately smelled mold--re-mediating mold is, obviously, something he has been intimately involved with. Annie and I both agreed we smelled nothing but new paint during our inspection. Anyway, Annie's colleague and another donned protective clothing and went into the crawl space. They discovered noticeable, flakey mold throughout, and the moisture meter measured 60%. Annie was advised not to stay in the house and that the mold had to be professionally re-mediated before she and her family should occupy the house. Annie called the seller's agent (who happens to live 2 doors down), who agreed Annie shouldn't stay in the house. The agent arranged a meeting this morning with the seller/builder and Annie and her mold mitigator colleagues. Fortunately, the builder and his agent have been very accommodating and helpful throughout the construction process and in meeting Annie's concerns. So, I am confident the seller will agree to have the mold mitigated.
The moral of this story is that mold, while not normally a big problem in very dry climates like ours, can become an issue that might be easily overlooked. Whoever would have thought one would find a serious mold issue in brand new construction?! In this case, despite some earlier indications that it could become a problem, neither I nor Annie considered it a strong enough possibility to engage an expert mold inspector and mitigator to inspect the home on the buyer's final walk-through. Had it not been for Annie's knowledgeable and attentive colleague and friend, Annie and her young children would have moved into the house and possibly suffered health issues or illness due to the mold, especially, since we are several months still away from drying out.
I don't want to get everyone overly concerned or hysterical about mold. Mold exists in some form or another in every house and our environment. It's a question of the type and pervasiveness of it. It can go unnoticed for months or years (I have another story about that, which I'll save for another time). My advice to everyone is to learn more about mold, especially as it may exist in your area. Then, if there is any reason for concern, have a mold expert lined up and ready to make a professional inspection and evaluation before closing. Mold can be mitigated, although it might be at great expense. A good resource for real estate professionals and consumers is the website for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. You can download the pamphlet "A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home." Another good Internet resource for energy and environmental concerns as they relate to real estate is EcoBroker.com. This site has a brief section about mold with links to additional resources (such as the EPA). Here's a link I found in the Yellow Pages to a local mold assessment and removal company in Montrose, which site also contains a lot of information and resources about mold and mitigating it: Corrective Building Solutions.
Please share any of your experiences or advice to real estate professionals or the consumer regarding mold, especially as it pertains to your local area.
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