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The Question is: Should you buy a home with mold?

The answer is: NO!

All Homes have a certain amount of mold and fungus, the typical A/C unit can have as much as 21 molds and fungus at any one time [provided there is water in the condensate pan].
Is this harmful, potentially Yes, but generally No.
The issue is the home, being certified in Mold and have conducted numerous mold projects I am confident in responding to this question.

What you see is a fraction of what you do not see, bleach will kill the surface mold which is generally mildew [a black fuzzy mold very common], however any mold may cause problems to sensitive people, people with breathing difficulties, lung damage and related issues.
It has been known to cause asthma in children, and hyper reactions in very sensitive people, it has been proven to cause cancer in some persons. This I know to be fact as my wife was exposed to mold while living in San Francisco, CA. some years back and developed a nodule in her lung that was directly connected to mold/fungus as a minute particle was found contained within the tumor. It was surgically removed as was the entire lobe of the lung.

Now for the house, what you see on the surface may be only a small fraction of what exists within the walls, foundation, basement or crawl space. As with any plant or animal there must be food and moisture for them to grow. Take either way and growth stops.
Washing the mold with bleach is only a partial fix the area must be sealed to encapsulate the problem mold to prevent regrowth and to contain the spores.
Here in Florida there may be very high mold spore counts in the outside air at any given time I have registered as high as 1700 per liter of air.
If you enter a home or apartment and can smell a musty odor you may have a mold issue.
The cost of proper remediation can be very costly.
A client of mine had her home checked by a non licensed and non certified company they claimed mold related problems and counts in the 600 PPL, final cost $15000
Fifteen Thousand Dollars and this was a small project. Unfortunately I was called in on the project at the end of the project.

If your concerned with mold, first hire a licensed certified company, run them by the state's [your specific state] Division of Licensing to see if there have been any complaints as well as the BBB, ask for references and which Laboratory they are tied in with and Yes check them [the Lab]out also.
When you enter into the contract for review , limit the activity to review and see what the laboratory report states, if you do not understand the report take it to your local health department, your family Doctor, local university Bio Department or similar expert. Have the expert explain the report to you and ask of any potential health issues.

Remember:A home that is closed up will have a much higher count than an active home.

Once you have identified that you have a mold issue, obtain a bid to take corrective actions replacing the drywall, baseboards, insulation, duct work, etc...
Do not get just one get at least three bids from companies licensed to conduct the remediation work, do you home work after you select one and check with local authorities, if they check out clean and you feel their fair than it is up to you to use their services.

I am presently seeking a 2/2 condo, I found what I thought to be the correct unit, low maintenance fees, excellent sq ft and configuration, I also found mold it killed the deal.

I may be sensitive to the issue but I would never buy a mold infected home or apartment, the spores will migrate into the duct work and the cost of remediation far offsets the potential profits down the road....maybe that is why it was so inexpensive?

Learn more about this author, Henry Harvey Ppe Apc Cam.
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