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How to Eliminate Mold from Your Home
A mold remediation will typically take a few days, depending on how extensive the mold growth is. Image: QuicDryIf you’ve found mold growing in your home, what you should do next depends on where you find it and how much there is. But eliminate mold promptly, because delay can mean an expensive repair that may not be covered by your homeowners insurance.
Professional mold elimination may take a few days and costs roughly $500 to $6,000, but can easily reach five figures if the problem is severe. If drywall, studs, or other building materials must be replaced after cleanup, you’ll need to hire a building contractor for that service as well.
“I had a case of roof damage where water infiltrated the kitchen, and mold damaged the kitchen, the foyer, the bedroom, and the family room,” says Jason Yost, owner of Solutions Indoor Environmental Consulting in Terre Haute, Ind. “Because the home wasn’t maintained properly and was cluttered, the mold amplified quickly. The total bill came to $60,000 to remediate and reconstruct the house.”
Mold and insurance
Mold remediation isn’t necessarily covered by homeowners insurance, which typically pays only if the problem results from a sudden emergency already covered on your policy, such as a burst pipe. Insurance usually doesn’t pay if the problem results from deferred maintenance or floodwaters (unless you have flood insurance).
Everyday mold growth
When mold is growing on household surfaces, both its spores (reproductive structures) and any toxins it produces can become airborne. This can aggravate asthma and allergies and sometimes contribute to more serious diseases, especially in children, the elderly, and those with weak immune systems. Mold also ruins porous materials such as drywall and carpeting and can damage woodwork, although serious damage to structural elements is rare.
Expect to find mold occasionally in wet areas such as kitchens and bathrooms. Confined to washable surfaces, it’s fine as long as you clean it promptly with soap and water. Disinfecting the area after cleaning with a 1:9 bleach-to-water solution can also help.
If you find small amounts of mold growing in places that shouldn’t be wet—such as floor grilles—address your moisture problem so it doesn’t return after you clean it up.
Calling for help
If you find mold growing on drywall, trim, or unfinished wood surfaces (studs, joists, subfloors), especially if the affected area exceeds 10 square feet, it’s time to seek a professional, scientific opinion. Your best bet is an independent consultant with credentials in mold investigation.
Less-than-ideal choices would be a home inspector, who likely doesn’t have mold training, or a mold remediation company, which can increase its profits by recommending cleanup procedures that aren’t necessary. On the flip side, you want someone who isn’t motivated to minimize costs to keep insurance companies happy.
The mold industry is largely unregulated, says licensed professional engineer and certified industrial hygienist Wane A. Baker of Michaels Engineering in La Crosse, Wis., because the word “mold” encompasses thousands of different types of fungi, whose health effects are highly individual and still under study. This lack of government oversight means almost anyone can hang out a shingle.
Look for the right credentials
Reputable mold remediation companies will hire a third-party inspector to determine the scope of work and roll that into the project cost. Also consider hiring our own inspector to ensure you have an advocate in the cleanup process.
A good mold inspection professional:
- Has at least an undergraduate degree in a science or engineering field
- Will provide a customized written report as part of his fee that includes the lab results of any air or surface samples taken
- Doesn’t hype one species of mold as being significantly more dangerous than another
- Doesn’t sell mold-related products
- Has completed industry-approved coursework in mold investigation, preferably from the American Board of Industrial Hygiene or the American Council for Accredited Certification (formerly the American Indoor Air Quality Council). He or she should also bear respected industry credentials, such as PE, CIH, CIEC, and CMRS.
What to expect from inspection and cleanup
Expect to spend $250 to $500 for a site visit from a qualified inspector that takes 20 minutes to two hours, depending on the scope of the problem, and a detailed report of findings and recommendations. Individual air samples, if necessary, may or may not be included in the price (ask your inspector ahead of the visit) and cost anywhere from $18 to $225 apiece, depending on the laboratory used to process results.
If mold growth is visible, air or surface sampling may not be necessary; it depends on the situation. It’s not important to identify the actual mold species unless there are specific legal or medical reasons to do so—say, if you have an allergy to a certain species. If mold growth is suspected but not visible—for example, if it’s concealed within walls—sampling may help confirm its presence.
Sampling is also typically used after the cleanup process to verify whether the job was successful. Ask inspectors why they’re performing any sampling that occurs on the initial visit; they should be able to articulate clearly whatever hypothesis they’re trying to confirm.
If the cleanup is simple enough to perform yourself, a mold inspector can advise you on procedures, protective equipment, and tools. The inspector should also be able to pinpoint the moisture issue that led to the mold problem so that you can correct it.
If you need a remediation pro
If a professional remediation is necessary, the inspector can recommend a company or you can choose one yourself. The cleanup process generally takes a few days, depending on the extent of mold growth, and may involve cleaning and disinfection, removal of drywall, professional cleaning of personal belongings, and HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filtration. The severity of the problem determines whether you’ll be able to remain in your home during the project.
“I’d like to stress that a mold remediation isn’t about kill, kill, kill,” Baker says. “Even dead mold can still be allergenic. Remediation is really about the physical removal of mold from water-damaged materials.” The remediation company should follow the work plan designed by your mold inspector, who will return for follow-up sampling to ensure the job was successful. Once the cleanup is approved, you can hire a building contractor to replace any drywall or other materials that were removed.
Home testing kits
Don’t bother with hardware store petri-dish kits, which claim to help you identify whether you have mold in your indoor air. “These kits are completely ineffective,” Baker says. The kits might grow a bit of mold for you—because mold spores are always present in indoor air—but they can’t guarantee a statistically significant sample of air, confirm the presence of dead mold spores (which also cause health symptoms), or determine baseline levels of mold in your home in order to compare results.
The key to dealing with mold quickly and effectively is finding a qualified professional inspector whom you trust.
Karin Beuerlein has covered home improvement and green living topics extensively for HGTV.com, FineLiving.com, and FrontDoor.com. In more than a decade of freelancing, she’s also written for dozens of national and regional publications, including Better Homes & Gardens and the Chicago Tribune. She and her husband started married life by remodeling the house they were living in. They still have both the marriage and the house, no small feat.
By: Karin Beuerlein – Courtesy of houselogic.com
Keep Your Home Sale from Falling Apart
If something falls apart before a home sells, the sellers are responsible for fixing it. Image: Alex Wilson/Getty ImagesFinding a buyer for your home is just the first step on the homeselling path. Tread carefully in the weeks ahead because if you make one of these common seller mistakes, your deal may not close.
Mistake #1: Ignore contingencies
If your contract requires you to do something before the sale, do it. If the buyers make the sale contingent on certain repairs, don’t do cheap patch-jobs and expect the buyers not to notice the fixes weren’t done properly.
Mistake #2: Don’t bother to fix things that break
The last thing any seller needs is for the buyers to notice on the pre-closing walk-through that the home isn’t in the same condition as when they made their offer. When things fall apart in a home about to be purchased, sellers must make the repairs. If the furnace fails, get a professional to fix it, and inform the buyers that the work was done. When you fail to maintain the home, the buyers may lose confidence in your integrity and the condition of the home and back out of the sale.
Mistake #3: Get lax about deadlines
Treat deadlines as sacrosanct. If you have three days to accept or reject the home inspection, make your decision within three days. If you’re selling, move out a few days early, so you can turn over the keys at closing.
Mistake #4: Refuse to negotiate any further
Once you’ve negotiated a price, it’s natural to calculate how much you’ll walk away with from the closing table. However, problems uncovered during inspections will have to be fixed. The appraisal may come in at a price below what the buyers offered to pay. Be prepared to negotiate with the buyers over these bottom-line-influencing issues.
Mistake #5: Hide liens from buyers
Did you neglect to mention that Uncle Sam has placed a tax lien on your home or you owe six months of homeowners association fees? The title search is going to turn up any liens filed on your house. To sell your house, you have to pay off the lien (or get the borrower to agree to pay it off). If you can do that with the sales proceeds, great. If not, the sale isn’t going to close.
By: G. M. Filisko – Courtesy of houselogic.com
6 Tips for Buying a Home in a Short Sale
When sellers need to sell their home for less than they owe on their mortgage, they’re shooting for a short sale. Short sale homes can sometimes be bargains, but only if you do your homework, stay patient, and remain unemotional during the sometimes lengthy and difficult short sale process.
Here are six tips for protecting yourself emotionally and financially when bidding on a short sale.
1. Get help from a short sale expert
A real estate agent experienced in short sales can identify which homes are being offered as short sales, help you determine a purchase price, and advise you on what to include in your offer to make the lender view it favorably. Ask agents how many buyers they’ve represented in short sales and, of those, how many successfully closed the transaction.
2. Build a team
Ask agents to recommend real estate attorneys knowledgeable in short sales and title experts. A title officer can do a title search to identify all the liens attached to a property you’re interested in. Because each lienholder must consent to a short sale, a property with multiple liens, like first and second mortgages, mechanic’s and condominium liens, or homeowners association liens, will be harder to purchase.
A title search may cost $250 to $300 up front, but it can help weed out less desirable properties requiring multiple approvals.
3. Know the home’s fair market value
By agreeing to a short sale, lenders are consenting to lose money on the loan they made to the sellers to purchase the home. Their goal is to keep those losses as low as possible. If your offer is dramatically less than the home’s fair market value, it may be rejected. Your agent can help you identify the price that’s good for you. The lender will determine whether approval is in its best interest.
4. Expect delays
There are two stages to a short sale. First, the sellers must consent to your purchase offer. Then they must submit it to their lender, along with documentation to convince the lender to agree to the sale.
The lender approval process can take weeks or months, even longer if the lender counteroffers. Expect bigger delays if several lienholders are involved; each can make a counteroffer or reject your offer.
5. Firm up your financing
Lenders will weigh your ability to close the transaction. If you’re preapproved for a mortgage, have a large downpayment, and can close at any time, they’ll consider your offer stronger than that of a buyer whose financing is less secure.
6. Avoid contingencies
If you must sell your current home before you can close on the short-sale property, or you need to close by a firm deadline, your offer may present too many moving parts for a lender to approve it.
Also, consider ordering an inspection so you’re fully informed about the home. Keep in mind that lenders are unlikely to approve an offer seeking repairs or credits for such work. You’ll probably have to purchase the home “as is,” which means in its present condition.
This article includes general information about tax laws and consequences, but isn’t intended to be relied upon by readers as tax or legal advice applicable to particular transactions or circumstances. Consult a tax professional for such advice; tax laws may vary by jurisdiction.
By: G. M. Filisko – Courtesy of houselogic.com
5 Tips for Buyng a Foreclosure
1. Choose a foreclosure sale expert
2. Be ready for complications
3. Work with your agent to set a price
4. Get your financing in order
5. Expect an as-is sale
6 Reasons to Reduce Your Home Price
If you don’t receive any offers for a few weeks, check out other comparable houses on the market and what they’re going for. Image: Liz ForemanHome not selling? That could happen for a number of reasons you can’t control, like a unique home layout or having one of the few homes in the neighborhood without a garage. There is one factor you can control: your home price.
These six signs may be telling you it’s time to lower your price.
1. You’re drawing few lookers
You get the most interest in your home right after you put it on the market because buyers want to catch a great new home before anybody else takes it. If your real estate agent reports there have been fewer buyers calling about and asking to tour your home than there have been for other homes in your area, that may be a sign buyers think it’s overpriced and are waiting for the price to fall before viewing it.
2. You’re drawing lots of lookers but have no offers
If you’ve had 30 sets of potential buyers come through your home and not a single one has made an offer, something is off. What are other agents telling your agent about your home? An overly high price may be discouraging buyers from making an offer.
3. Your home’s been on the market longer than similar homes
Ask your real estate agent about the average number of days it takes to sell a home in your market. If the answer is 30 and you’re pushing 45, your price may be affecting buyer interest. When a home sits on the market, buyers can begin to wonder if there’s something wrong with it, which can delay a sale even further. At least consider lowering your asking price.
4. You have a deadline
If you’ve got to sell soon because of a job transfer or you’ve already purchased another home, it may be necessary to generate buyer interest by dropping your price so your home is a little lower priced than comparable homes in your area. Remember: It’s not how much money you need that determines the sale price of your home, it’s how much money a buyer is willing to spend.
5. You can’t make upgrades
Maybe you’re plum out of cash and don’t have the funds to put fresh paint on the walls, clean the carpets, and add curb appeal. But the feedback your agent is reporting from buyers is that your home isn’t as well-appointed as similarly priced homes. When your home has been on the market longer than comparable homes in better condition, it’s time to accept that buyers expect to pay less for a home that doesn’t show as well as others.
6. The competition has changed
If weeks go by with no offers, continue to check out the competition. What have comparable homes sold for and what’s still on the market? What new listings have been added since you listed your home for sale? If comparable home sales or new listings show your price is too steep, consider a price reduction.
By: G. M. Filisko- Courtesy of houselogic.com
