7 Reasons to Have Older Homes Tested for Mold Before You Buy

Many factors such as location, price, design, and structure affect an individual’s decision to purchase a certain house. However, one important thing you have to do is test the house you want to buy for the presence of mold. This is especially crucial when planning to buy an old home. The reason behind this is that the presence of mold in your new house will attract a lot of clean up and removal costs. It is thus important to save yourself the time and money required for this by doing mold testing before you go ahead and buy. This article gives seven reasons as to why this is crucial.

  1. Prevent Mold-Related Health Risks

If the house you are planning to buy has mold, you and your loved ones will definitely be at risk of exposure. This will most likely happen if the mold has accumulated in large numbers. Inhaling mold spores in the indoor space may trigger mild allergic reactions and show symptoms such as sneezing, coughing, and watery eyes. Apart from this, toxic mold can cause severe reactions and even death. It is hence very important to do mold testing prior to purchasing a house to prevent any mold-related health issues.

  1. Identifies Invisible Mold

Mold spores are microscopic and thus invisible with the naked eye. If you evaluate the presence of mold just by looking, you might never see it. Experts have to come in and inspect even the invisible mold. Mold can hide in areas you would never think of such as chimneys, under sinks, and on the ceiling. You should consider bringing in professionals to evaluate the presence of mold in the house you want to purchase.

  1. Mold Location Detection

Another reason why mold testing is crucial before buying a house is that it helps identify exact areas that have mold. Understanding the places where mold is growing can assist you to remove it easily in the future, if you still go ahead to buy the house. This can help you preserve the structural integrity and safety of your new house. Furthermore, it assists you to determine the exact locations of leaks, condensation, floods, and electrical work malfunctions.

  1. Saves You Money in the Future

Mold testing saves you a lot of money and time, which you would otherwise use for removal and remediation. Home sellers are not mandated to state mold issues in the house they are planning to sell. Therefore, they can sell you a house with mold problems without facing any legal issues. In addition to this, sellers may try to cover up mold issues by spackling or painting. You do not want this to happen to you, and this is a major reason as to why you want to do mold testing prior to spending your money.

  1. Improve Indoor Air Quality

If you make the decision to buy the home, you will want to have done a mold inspection in prior. The reason behind this is that understanding that the house has mold will make you take the needed steps to have it removed. This will go a long way in improving your new home’s indoor air quality.

  1. Mold Presence Means Structural Problems

Doing a mold test on the house you want to buy can help identify any structural issues. Mold grows under the right moisture and humidity. Therefore, the presence of mold can mean that the house might have issues in the plumbing system, ceilings, the floor, among other areas. Testing for mold is thus crucial; as it assists you identify its sources, which you would not normally think of.

  1. Allows for Healthy Renovations

If you buy a house, you might want to renovate it to fit your preferred style and design. It is good to know whether it has mold so that you can do healthy renovations that will not put anyone at risk of exposure.

Whether you are an experienced or first-time homebuyer, it is crucial to have an understanding of what exactly you are spending money on. Testing for mold is an important thing you have to do before buying a house, especially if it is an old one. A mold inspection can help you make the decision whether to continue with the home purchase or not. You would not want to spend your money on a house with structural damage, which you will have to fix later on. If you still want to purchase a house infested with mold, you should at least pay less money so that you can save the extra cash for future maintenance costs.