Why do you offer mold testing? I'm not a fan
A real estate agent sent us a frustrating email asking why we offer mold testing. Hello, I am an agent who recommends you to my clients for inspections. Every client I refer to you has asked me about mold, and they saw it on your site. It’s not moldy, it doesn’t have moisture problems, and doesn’t smell. I wonder why this is being promoted and where did this come from.
I have a first-time buyer who is very anxious and has just ordered a mold test without any
reason. I'm not too fond of adding another layer to my skin. It's nice to know that you can do it, but mold is everywhere. It is impossible to test for mold and not find it! It's airborne! It's airborne!
This email addresses two key questions: Why are we "pushing" mold testing? And what's the point in the testing mold when it is everywhere? Both of these questions will be addressed today.
Mold Testing by Pushing
We do encourage sewer inspections, radon testing, and chimney inspections. These are vital
inspections you should have performed when buying a house, and it's rare for someone with the
proper education to purchase these essential services.
However, we don't push mold testing. Although it's on our list of services, we don't try to sell people this service.
Clients may request a mold inspection with a home inspection if there is a suspected or known mold problem. Or, they may ask for this precautionary measure. Mold inspections are usually ordered by clients with unique concerns, mainly if there is a history of basement water intrusion.
A home inspection is sufficient to find any mold issues in a house, but it isn’t, and a mold inspection won’t reveal all the hidden mold problems. To offer any guarantee, we would need extensive air testing in every room, which can be very costly.
Mold inspections are conducted in areas that are most susceptible to mold, and this is often in the basement's darkest corner. However, we use our training and experience to make these decisions. We offer mold inspections but never push for this service.
What's the point of testing if mold is everywhere?
Let’s focus on water to illustrate my point. As a home inspector, I am very concerned about water in the house. I am worried about water in basements, water behind insulation, water in
walls, condensation, moisture in the attic, roof leaks, etc. To help me identify problems, I use an infrared camera and a moisture meter. One could argue that moisture is in everything, even our air, so why bother to check?
We are simply looking for high levels of moisture in your home. If the levels are abnormally high,
the house has a problem. This is how mold testing works.
We conduct a mold air test outdoors to establish a baseline level for mold in the home. The indoor samples are compared with the outdoor numbers to determine if the stories are abnormally high. If results are high, we don’t just give you a report that says, “You have mold!”. We provide in-depth information detailing the areas tested, the results, the possible causes, and a suggested action plan.