Buying a home is a huge investment. You want to make sure you are purchasing a home of the highest quality. Often, homes will have issues, but if you can handle them, you can also use them to your advantage to get more bang for your buck and talk down an asking price. Here are 5 things to consider before buying a home with mold issues.
1. First, you must understand the extent of the mold problem. Is this something you can have removed and cleaned up in a weekend, or is it a bigger problem? In some cases mold may just be minor and in a very isolated, small space such as a bathroom or basement. In other cases, the mold may have spread due to neglect or lack of timely removal. Make sure to have a professional inspector come in to determine the damage and the extent to which the mold is a problem in this house.
2. Next, decide how much time, energy and money you are willing to put into mold removal. Perhaps the mold removal process will take an extended amount of time to complete. Are you willing to wait, or does this home need to be move in ready so that you don’t have to work on anything ahead of time. Having a realistic timeline can help you to determine if dealing with mold in a home is worth it for you as well as feasible given your circumstances.
3. Determine what the source of the mold is. If you are removing the mold easily, that’s okay, but you don’t want it to come back time and time again. Get to the source of the problem so that it can be repaired. Maybe a room isn’t well ventilated, or a pipe is leaking in that area. These much bigger issues are likely more expensive up front, but will save you lots of time, frustration and money in the long run.
4. Find out how much the mold has impacted the home. In some cases, it may just be superficial, surface damage that can easily be removed. In other cases, it may have damaged the entire structure of a home or caused rotting and other big problems that sometimes cannot be completely repaired. An inspector will be able to reveal this damage to you so that you can make an educated decision and avoid buying a home that could potentially turn into a money pit.
5. If mold is a large problem, try to negotiate with the seller. They have to disclose this information to potential buyers, so if you are seriously interested, they may be willing to cut you a deal. Often you can ask them to cover any removal costs, or just take money off of the overall asking price and pay for closing costs or other fees and expenses.
Mold is a serious issue whether you are buying Nashville or Atlanta real estate, that needs to be addressed in any home you are considering to buy. If mold is present, find out how much there is, determine what you are willing to do about, look into the source of the mold, get an inspector to tell you if the mold has damaged the structure of the home, and negotiate a deal with the seller. All of these tips will not only help you to make a wise investment, but could also save you a lots of time, money and stress!