Yes, That Is Black Mold!

Mold the new buzzword & black mold the villan of most basements.

Mold is a dirty four letter word in our business. Some people don't care while others kill deals over it. 

During the period of time in the real estate market when there were record numbers of foreclosure and short sale properties on the market, there seemed to be a lot of mold. People were not maintaining their "underwater" homes and the lack of maintenance meant that water sources were not being repaired. I think water is detected more quickly in occupied homes, but your point is a good one. You have to repair the source before worrying about how it looks. 

Mold is never good. You DO have to find the source and have the repairs done properly. A home owner can do the mold remediation on their own, but if someone else does the mold remediation, that company must follow very strict EPA guidelines.

First thing I learned about mold - TOP THE FOOD SOURCE - i.e. moisture/water.

very well stated tom, i have told many dozens of folks that mold is not the bugaboo it's held out to be by the uninformed and frantic media looking for a headline tease for their in-depth 60 second expose on the 5 o'clock news.  we've all heard the tease "is a killer hiding in your home?  find out when Tiffany Sparkleteeth shows us what deadly toxic poisons are lurking in your kids toilet paper .  only on news8 at 5".

i once had a neighbor tell me she thought that mold from a leaky roof was causing her kids diabetes.  after cleaning up the pepsi i spit on myself in hilarious reaction i let her know that it was more likely the snickers and pepsi she was packing for the kids lunch. 

mold needs moisture, air and a food source.  knock out one of those and your 95% corrected.

next time you're enjoying a brie or camambert or a nice blue cheese...thank  the mold gods for the treat

Repairing the problem without repairing the cause of the problem is an exercise in futility. What are people thinking?

I often wonder how folks lived so many years with black mold in their lives... that is until they found out it was deadly...  Great advice for those that have the darn stuff!!!

Tom I used to handle the "Mold Claims" for insurance companies.  As I recall no need to call in the moon suits if it was under 10SF.  Also my termite guys will not use the term "Mold" in a report.  The us "Fungus" or another term.  Mold is everywhere.  You have to test to determine if it is harmful mold.  I had a woman tell me she did not want to buy a home with Bacteria in it.

I guess the nasty stuff comes in a variety of colors and can be tricky to spot.

Mold is very tricky.  It makes sense to call a professional - someone who specializes in mold remediation.

Determining the source of the moisture and correcting the issue is essential.  Great post.

When cleaning up the mold, be sure to wear protective equipment such as gloves, mask and glasses to prevent mold absorption to your body and bag the material and dispose as a hazardous material with your local disposal company.

It's also important to keep all documentation (for disclosure purposes) to show that the remediation took place by a licensed company. Thanks for the post Tom.

Great blog!  Thanks for sharing.  Mold is pretty common in Missouri as well so interesting read.

The mold needs to be abated before you list the house. Be proactive. It will come up on the inspection.