Why are molds a real estate deal-killer?
According to Vistainfo’s Property Disclosure department, there are thousands of molds. At their mildest, molds can wrinkle the noses of buyers and cause coughing, sneezing, headaches or trigger respiratory ailments; at their worst, they can kill. Consider the deadly Stachybotrys mold, which when combined with exposure to cigarette smoke, can cause fatal bleeding in the lungs of babies under 12 months old. The biggest problem with molds is once they have invaded a home, they can’t be killed, particularly if the conditions that fostered the molds aren’t changed. “You have to go to the source,” says Giles. “After-the-fact pesticides will only temporarily halt the growth of molds if the conditions that caused the mold aren’t improved. When mold gets into wall, flooring or roofing structures, the repair costs can be tremendous. Recalls Newell of his lost sale, “The mold was so severe that the repairs would have meant removing the flat roof and putting in a sloped roof, at a cost estimated o
