Houses that are affected by mold contamination may find it difficult to sell in today’s competitive market. Therefore, to get a good price and quick sale, mold removal becomes a crucial thing for home owners. However, it is important to find a reliable mold removal company that can provide fast and efficient service. Mold Removal Mississauga provided us with some tips to property managers and home owners to help them with this matter:
Mold Inspection before listing: Buyers will be impressed when you provide them evidence for mold inspections that are conducted by a licenced and certified inspector prior to listing your property on the market. Mold inspection can be conducted with little to no damage to your building which is ideal for real estate transactions. Mold Inspection consists of visual analysis of all reachable areas, taking photographs for documentation purposes, infrared thermal imaging, fiber optic inspections, checking the moisture, taking air samples, and evaluating the disclosure statements and maintenance records. There are multiple factors that determinate the cost of the inspection but a mold inspection from a certified inspector may cost anything between $500 to $1500.
Disclosure. Disclosing any current or past problems with your building is very important when selling your house. Explain in detail the procedures taken to solve the problems in your disclosure document and attach it to your contract with the buyer. Failure to disclose issues can cause you trouble in the future. Ensure that you list all big and small issues with the house and evidence of repair, particularly water related problems even if the problems seem minor. Even if the problem appears to be a small one, it is best to list it in your disclosure agreement; disclosure everything and don’t try to hide anything.
Repair everything before your sale: Water intrusion and mold issues should be rectified before you list your property on the market. Avoid hiding the problems using tactics like painting over or putting items in front of the molded areas as this will cost you more in the long term through legal issues. If you suspect there is a mold issue with your house, hire a specialist to inspect it and rectify the issue before it cross contaminates other parts of your home.
Document: The biggest advantage with hiring a qualified specialist is that you will get evidence of your repair if issues happen in the future. You can prove that you have taken all the steps to find and fix all the issues of your home. This is why keeping a detailed document of the steps taken is very important.
Educate and Cooperate: It is important to know your rights and liability when buying or selling a house. Mold contamination can be an absolute nightmare and the buyer should work will the seller to investigate issues if they suspect potential mold contamination. In general, it is not a good idea to just go on-site to investigate and take air samples. It is important to consult a specialist to find out your options and maintain constructive discussions with the seller.
Air Sampling: Air samples can be problematic and often false positive or false negative conclusions can be made from the analysis. There are ways to perform accurate analysis with air sampling but getting an expert to perform this can cost over $1,000.
Liability of the cost of repair: As the seller, if a real concern arises, you should agree to repair it before the sale or be willing to pay for the partial cost of future repairs. It is important to agree to a limit with the buyer to protect yourself from unnecessary liability. Remember to get the attorney to review the agreements before signing any contracts.
Sales Contract: Advise the buyer to hire a mold specialist to inspect the house and transfer all the liability of mold related issues to the buyer in the contract. The contract should include information on the buyer’s unrestricted permission to conduct mold inspections prior to the conclusion of the sale and that no warranty will be provided if a mold issues arises in the future.
NOTE: This article is strictly opinions and should not be treated as legal advice.
