I have been in the inspection/air quality/ hvac business since 1988 and until recently I have always respected and enjoyed working with realtors. I recently received a call from a husband and wife realty team. These were the wonderful realtors in this nightmare. I would go anywhere, jump through any hoops, and climb every.... You get the idea, I really liked these realtors. They were the buyer's realtor, and the buyers were very lucky that they had the three of us working for them on this particular real estate transaction. I was asked to do one of my complete and thorough home inspections. This husband and wife team, (lets call them Fred & Ethel) knew because of my certifications I could do the inspection, a mold inspection, air quality inspection, and an HVAC inspection all at once by myself. I met Fred & Ethel at the home and the inspection began as all inspections do, on the outside.

 I found problem after problem with this home. Some were serious but most were merely cosmetic. I had step cracks in the exterior stucco, and settlement cracks in the pool deck. There was a broken handle on a screen door and no power to the hot tub. I am sure as realtors you have all seen these exterior short comings.

 When I moved into the inside minor problems became very serious. As a Certified Mold Inspector and HVAC Technician I was able to open up the air conditioning and look at the ductwork. Thank goodness that I had put on gloves and was wearing a respirator because the interior of the air handler hanging in the garage was full of microbial growth. I then inspected the supply grills and return. There was a microbial or dirt like material on the supply grills that looked very familiar.  I wanted the buyers to understand the potential health issues involved. I explained to them that I have seen this many times but I would prefer that samples be taken and sent to the lab so that we would be sure of what we were dealing with. I told them that I needed to take only two tests. One swab from microbial matter inside the blower wheel and one swab from a four way grill in the family room.

The buyers agreed and I proceeded to take the samples and sent them to the lab in Oakridge Tenn. I explained that we would have results back within 48hrs. I called my clients and let them know that I had received the results back from the lab. We made an appointment to meet back at the house with Fred & Ethel. I went over the results and explained all the different types of mold that were in the air handler and that Stachybotris was at the four way grill. After I calmed them down and told them that even the infamous black mold was manageable. They asked me what I would suggest that they do.

 I am sure you are all thinking what is this all about. This is where we all meet the seller's agent. I have been told by many agents that this agent is the one that they have all told themselves they would never be. To be fair, all trades and all professions have these types of people in them, mine included.

My client asked me to list everything that is wrong and what I believe should be done. I told my client that the air handler needs a complete overhaul. Which means that the evaporator coil needs to be pulled out and completely cleaned. Pull out the insulation and replace with new. Pull out the blower wheel and clean completely. I also told my clients that the ducts needed to be cleaned and sanitized. Clean and sanitize all the supply grills. My clients then requested an approximate cost for all these repairs. I told them that I would base my estimates on a mid sized company with average overhead. The amount for the air handler overhaul came to about $1900.00. This was due in part to the air handler being about 15 feet in the air in the garage. I informed my client that the duct cleaning would be about $ 850.00 and I would only recommend having them cleaned with Abatement Technologies equipment. I them directed them to my website www.mermininspection.com to the duct cleaning section and they could watch a video on that type of equipment. They would be able to see how duct cleaning was done. Here it comes, here comes the problem,

I take it that these repairs and my suggested remediation were given to the seller's agent to negotiate the work with their purchase of the house.I was called by the seller's agent and basically read the riot act. I was told by this agent that I would never do another home inspection in Lee County again. I was unethical because I was recommending repairs that I would profit from. I explained that my loyalty was to my client and I did no such thing. I explained to her that I didn't think it was very ethical for her to call me, and that she should go through the buyer's agent.  She then proceeded to tell me that they were not going to use my estimate. She even told me that I should have told her client that they should get another estimate. I explained to this "Professional Realtor" this estimate was an average cost for this type of work based on a middle size company with middle sized overhead. I explained to her that my loyalty was to my client and to Fred & Ethel. I explained to her that it was not my responsibility to consult with her clients.  She then went on this strange tangent on how Ethel didn't know what she was doing, that she was a terrible realtor, and didn't know how she could ever sell a house. I had to tell her that this was the fourth inspection they recommended me for in 6 weeks and that must mean Fred & Ethel must know something.

 The seller's agent said she was arranging to have the work done on the HVAC system herself, and she was getting it done by a local air conditioning company for under $ 500.00. My client asked me if I would inspect their work after they were done. I agreed, because they were my clients and I was kind of mad at this agent. The word came that the work was complete and I met Fred & Ethel and the buyer at the house. Well don't you know it didn't look like anything was done? The blower wheel was still dirty. The insulation wasn't replaced. The wires still had gunk all over them. They didn't even clean the paper tag on the blower motor. I then looked at the four way grill in the family room and it still had the dirt on it. They didn't even clean that. Fred & Ethel called the seller's agent and she assured them that this a/c company not only did the work but did a great job. After receiving the bill at F/He's office I was asked to re-do the swab tests. I am sure you probably know the results of those re-tests.

The moral of this story is: Just because they are an air conditioning company doesn't mean they are mold certified. It doesn't even mean they know anything about mold. Also just because they are the cheapest doesn't mean they are right. It might mean they are doing less.Make sure that you deal with someone who is nationally certified. I tell people that they should never ever buy or sell a home without a home and mold inspection.Both sides of a real estate transactions can work together for the clients. Everyone in all the professions should stop trying to look like a big shot in front of their clients. My loyalty is always to my clients. I will always treat the realtor on both side of the transaction with respect and kindness and appreciate the business that your profession gives me. Let's work together in the best interest of the client and the  real estate market.

Jacob Mermin CHI/CMI

www.mermininspections.com

239-243-7322