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Selling a home that you no longer want or need can be a hassle all by itself, but when you add mold contamination to the mix, it just gets ugly.  It is not easy getting rid of a home that is contaminated with mold at the price that you want and a lot of times, you have to lower the price that you ask for it before you can even get anyone to come near it.  There is hope, however, for those of you who are willing to do a little work.

If you do happen to find a buyer, you should make sure that an environmental inspection clause is included in the sales contract.  This will assure the buyer that they will have a two to three week period where they can have an inspector come to take a look around the property and examine it for mold or any other hazards that could possibly exist.  If they or the inspector see that mold exists on the property without testing, then the only test that should be performed is to determine whether the mold is toxic.  Even if the mold does not happen to be toxic, it still needs to be removed due to the structural damage that it can do to the building materials the home is made out of.  Drywall that becomes infected usually needs to be replaced and so does any wood or other materials. 

Whatever you do, do not try to hide the mold contamination from your buyer by trying to cover it up or remove the mold superficially.  Even if you remove the mold off of the surface of a piece of drywall, odds are good that the whole depth of the sheet has been contaminated because drywall is a porous surface covered with paper both on the front and the back.  If your buyer discovers there is mold on the property and you mentioned nothing about it, they may suspect that you are hiding other things about the home, as well, and you will have lost your buyer.

You should also have a clause in your sales contract that says that neither you, your lender, or your real estate agent is responsible for any complications caused by mold after the home is sold.  Listing all mold and water damage that has been done to the home in the past and what you have done to fix the problems should be enough.

 White Plains Basement Flooding Emergency Service

If you’re looking to prevent water damage to your home, it might take a little effort, but it’ll be worth it in the long run. Here are a few ways to help prevent water damage in your kitchen and bathroom.

Checking for hidden water leaks in your home is pretty easy and it’s very possible that you have one in your house. Turn off all appliances that use water, go outside and take note of what your water meter says, and leave the appliances off (don’t use any water at all) for at least one hour. After the hour is up, check the water meter again to see if the reading has changed. If it has, you probably have a leak.

Check underneath your dishwasher to see if the line that goes to it from the water pipes isn’t leaking. If there is standing water near the base of the dishwasher, you have a leak. Another way to check for leaks here is to check if any of the materials around the dishwasher are discolored or warped in any way.

Your refrigerator is often a culprit of water damage, as well, especially refrigerators with built in ice makers. Sometimes the line to the ice maker bursts or ice builds up near the bottom of the door and keeps it from shutting all the way, resulting in items in your freezer thawing. Make sure the line to the ice maker is connected firmly and does not leak.

Sinks often need to be re-caulked around to prevent water damage under the sink and on top of the counter.

In the bathroom, soft spots in the floors near the edge of the tub or shower along with discoloration is a sure sign of water damage. Re-caulking where the walls meet the floor or where the walls meet the tub can help solve the problem. If you have tiled areas in your bathroom, cracks in grout or areas where it is missing can also cause damage.

The overflow of toilets is an obvious cause of water damage, even if it doesn’t happen that often. Putting too much toilet paper into toilets or other objects into the toilet can cause it to back up. Deodorants that hang inside the toilet bowl are something that causes blocks in the plumbing, can block the line completely, and if it is chlorine-based, can cause the pipes to rust and lead to an additional leak.

Article By Flood Cleanup