Should I stop my dad from buying a townhouse with mold?

Question

So my dad has been wanting to buy a house for a long time. We started in February, and nothing has been working out until last last month with this one townhouse. Our offer is accepted and we're really close to the settlement date (next week). Well, the house has mold in the basement and maybe in the kitchen too. The insurance agent seems to be extremely concerned about the mold and just sent us another pile of papers to sign.. I'm also starting school far away next week, and I need a place to stay. That townhouse is very close to school. Should we ignore the mold and continue? Or should we leave our 6 months of hard work and quit? Settlement date is this coming Tuesday if things work out. *sigh*

Answer 1

Well, mold definitely isn't good, even if it is a type that doesn't jeopardize your health.

Mold needs moisture to grow.  The number one question on my list would be to find out why there is mold to begin with.  The fact there is mold would raise a red flag for me.  Some guesses off the top of my head would be that there is a water leak in the plumbing system somewhere inside the house or moisture from the outside is getting into the house (improperly graded landscaping, high water table, problems with the siding).  The fact there is a moisture source somewhere in the home is bound to cause other problems with the house either now or later.

As you kind of found out for yourself, some molds have devastating health effects on humans.  Almost all molds will cause some sort of respitory ailments from the spores (like a minor cough).  You don't want to have something that has a negative impact on your health, especially as a person gets older.

Depending on the cause of the problem, the fix could be fairly cheap and simple to being expensive and complex enough where the house must be destroyed.  Molds caused by a leaky pipe or a similar issue will go away once the moisture source is removed.  Mold due to a defect in the design of the home is terribly difficult and expensive to correct.

Personally, if you Dad and you are that interested in the house, I would find a mold inspector in your area.  Talk with your home inspector or Realtor and find out if they have a person they work with.  If you are buying a house with a mold problem, this isn't the time to be cheap and make it a do it yourself project.  If you are wrong in your guess, the results could be financially devastating.  On the other hand, a simple repair and some application of a fungicide might correct the problem.  In either case, I'd highly recommend getting a professional involved.

Personally, having done home repair on a limited basis in my life (I'm no Bob Vila, but I've done quite a bit), I probably wouldn't get a house with mold issues.  If the house is a smoking good deal, then there is probably a big problem and the people are trying to dump the property.  If the property is priced according to what the rest of the market is going for, the sellers are probably not the type of people I'd want to deal with.  If the property is priced right given the problem, it still means fixing problems, constantly testing for mold for years, potentially replacing conventional drywall with fiberglass faced drywall (I hate working with drywall), and getting the placed treated with fungicides (IMHO any chemical that is meant to kill something else isn’t good for a human to be around).

The fact the sellers disclosed the mold issue is a huge, huge red flag for me.  This means that they are concerned enough about the issue where they are willingly disclosing it so you can not sue later.

My recommendation is to get a mold professional involved or find another property.

Answer 2

Babii,

I suffered brain damage from living in a home with toxic mold in it. I have been out of that home now for 4 years, and there hasn't been a day that's passed since that i have not prayed and prayed for a normal brain again. There is no amount of money that someone could pay me that would be worth it to move back into a home with toxic mold in it. What good would money do you if your brain was damaged and the host of other complications that brings?  I would of rather the mold killed me which i was about a week away from. PLEASE DO NOT LET YOUR DAD GET INTO THIS HOUSE!! Its just not worth it.

Answer 3

Mold is very dangerous for your health, including resperatory, kidney and liver deseases. Do not sign anything. This can be taken as a non-disclosure law suite. Force them do a house inspection by a professional (at there expense) and have a contractor estimate on the cost of rectifying the proplem. Have them do the repairs or sign an agreement that the repairs will be done at there expense within a certain time period.

Mold build up is caused by moister coming through the foundation or structure that stays in the walls without being able to dry.

Answer 4

Was the mold listed in the home disclosure? If not you should be able to have the home owner hire an mold abatement company to come in and fix the problem. If you are this far into it they will be likely to do what you want to make the sale. I do know mold is nothing to mess with as it can cause some pretty serious heath issues. You should at least  have someone inspect the home to assure you are not going to buy something that needs to be totally stripped to the studs for a repair.  

Answer 5

Whether you buy the house or not, you can't ignore the mold.  You will probably need an expert to come in and tell you how to treat it.

Answer 6

Mold is definitely a serious issue...

https://moldrx4u.com/Symptoms.asp

Check out the remarkable research on toxic mold removal done by environmental expert Dr Ed Close. Simply diffusing Thieves essential oil regularly will likely result in an environment very hostile to mold.

http://www.secretofthieves.com/mold.cfm

Cost of the Thieves Household Cleaner, a diffuser and a couple bottles of the Thieves oil that Dr Close recommends to his remediation clients: about $250.

There's no way to know in advance whether it will take care of the problem (I wish you had more time), but it has always struck me as a huge opportunity for investors that can stomach the risk. Buy homes at dramatically reduced remediation-required prices, see if the Thieves trick will solve the problem before traditional remediation techniques, make a huge and honest profit because you know something that is not yet common knowledge.

Answer 7

Mold isn't as dangerous as some here would lead you to believe... Yes, those with specific allergies to mold will not find its presence pleasant and yes there is the notorious "Black mold" which can indeed be deadly - though not all black mold is the really nasty stuff.  But if you remove the drywall and then eliminate the water source - all should be well.  There are plenty of professionals who cannot only test and tell you what type of mold you have - but can remove it for you.  (Check your local building center for test sources in your area)

Most likely he can get a good deal due to the presence of the mold.  Like any purchase deal - know all the facts around where the mold is, find the water source (leaking roof or water line?) be prepared to put money into the fix - - if the deal is still good... buy it!

Tom A

Sr, Construction Project Manager

Albion, MI