Help/second opinion is needed

[JJY]

I am in the middle of purchasing a house.  Idea location and very desirable community. Everything is good until I did a mold inspection and was advised by my home inspector that there was a minor mold issue. 300/m3 Curvularia spores were found in the basement air sample while there were zero curvularia found in the control sample (which is outside of the house). The report abled it "slightly elevated."  Our inspector still called it out.  We asked the seller to remedy this. So mold remedy company came in and treated. 

After treatment, we ran another test. And now, the result is 200/m3 curvularia spores. My inspector told me the remedy is not sufficient and need to do further. So I ask the sellers to do further treatment and ask them to give us a report from the mold remedy company showing remedy is effective. After the sellers have a communication with the mold remedy company, they tell us they feel our inpector's expectation is not reasonable.They want us to define what is "acceptable" result, since there is no way the number could be down to zero(not sure if it is our inspector's expectation though). They think the current result is within the normal range and shows us some information on the website saying it is within the normal range. Also, they can't provide the report we are asking for. To let us feel more comfortable, they could cut some drywalls, but that's all that they will do. 

Now I don't know which direction I should go. Is it the number considering no issue? Just my inspector unreasonable expectation and our request for such a report is no reasonable? or should I just walk away? I worry that if my inspector or my expectation is not reasonable, I might run into the same situation again. 

Thank you very much!

[Jim Katen]

Hi JJY, 

Believe it or not, there are no acceptable or unacceptable levels of any kind of mold in a house. Interpretation of these kinds of measurements is all based on myth, hearsay, & fantasy. 

Unless you're actually experiencing a problem, testing air for mold spores is a pointless waste of time & money. The only ones who benefit from it are the inspector and the mold lab. Within the profession, this is pretty much well known and people like you are seen as patsies.  

Do you see mold? 

Do you smell mold? 

If the answer to these questions is yes, figure out what caused the mold, eliminate the cause, and clean up the mold. (Mold is *always* a symptom of a water problem.) Then have a coke & a smile, and go on with your life. 

If the answer to these questions is no, then forget all about the imaginary mold, have a coke & a smile, and go on with your life.

 

[Bill Kibbel]

Jim's reply clearly explains the truth about mold testing - without all of the foul language I would have used.

If a buyer's inspector started mold testing a home I was selling, he would probably need a medical professional to retrieve the test equipment from an orifice.

[Marc]

I'm guessing JJY won't be needing a third opinion.

Edited September 4, 2020 by Marc

[JJY]

51 minutes ago, Jim Katen said:

Hi JJY, 

Believe it or not, there are no acceptable or unacceptable levels of any kind of mold in a house. Interpretation of these kinds of measurements is all based on myth, hearsay, & fantasy. 

Unless you're actually experiencing a problem, testing air for mold spores is a pointless waste of time & money. The only ones who benefit from it are the inspector and the mold lab. Within the profession, this is pretty much well known and people like you are seen as patsies.  

Do you see mold? 

Do you smell mold? 

If the answer to these questions is yes, figure out what caused the mold, eliminate the cause, and clean up the mold. (Mold is *always* a symptom of a water problem.) Then have a coke & a smile, and go on with your life. 

If the answer to these questions is no, then forget all about the imaginary mold, have a coke & a smile, and go on with your life.

 

Hi Jim,

Thank you so much for your information! I truely know nothing about house or mold and that's why I hired home inspector and that's also why I ask question here. Thank you again for your reply!

 I did a mold inspection is because mold is found under the bathroom sink and seller says there was a minor leaking issue and claims it was fixed. That's how everything began. They have removed the sink as the treatment. I retest just to ensure mold has been cleaned up since I know nothing about mold. But now the result after treatment is not as dramatically drop as I expect. Inspector says they need to remove the drywall. But the Seller tells me removing drywall won't change anything. So honestly I don't know what kind of result I should see as an evidence of "clean up" if the testing result will be the same. any further suggestion?

[JJY]

44 minutes ago, Bill Kibbel said:

Jim's reply clearly explains the truth about mold testing - without all of the foul language I would have used.

If a buyer's inspector started mold testing a home I was selling, he would probably need a medical professional to retrieve the test equipment from an orifice.

Hi Bill,

Thank you for confirming Jim's reply. I was totally lost and very stuggle. It is one of my biggest investment ever or might be in my life. Might be worry too much. 

Edited September 4, 2020 by JJY

[JJY]

30 minutes ago, Marc said:

I'm guessing JJY won't be needing a third opinion.

Hahaha, opinion is always  welcome.

Edited September 4, 2020 by JJY

[Marc]

7 hours ago, JJY said:

Hahaha, opinion is always  welcome.

As an HI, I don't offer mold inspections to anyone, but on every home inspection I do, I'm constantly on the lookout for water/moisture intrusion issues and suspected mold growth. My tools are my nose and eyes, and that has served me very well.

I find suspected mold growth on the majority of my inspections.  It's almost always found within the indoor section of the AC system, where such system is within the conditioned spaces of the house. Most discoveries of suspected mold growth result in a recommendation to 'grab a bottle of Tilex and wipe it off'.

I keep a variety of equipment on hand, commonly used by others for ancillary services, to deploy whenever called for by the home inspection. I don't 'milk the cow' that has hired me to complete a home inspection.

Google  Curvularia spores. They're common in the atmosphere and tend to be especially important members of the air spora in tropical areas. They poses no known threat to humans, yet are assumed to be allergenic, like all species of mold spores.

 

Edited September 4, 2020 by Marc

[Erby]

Buy the house and enjoy it.  As Jim said, have a coke & a smile, and go on with your life.

[Jim Katen]

10 hours ago, JJY said:

I did a mold inspection is because mold is found under the bathroom sink and seller says there was a minor leaking issue and claims it was fixed. That's how everything began. They have removed the sink as the treatment. I retest just to ensure mold has been cleaned up since I know nothing about mold. But now the result after treatment is not as dramatically drop as I expect. Inspector says they need to remove the drywall. But the Seller tells me removing drywall won't change anything. So honestly I don't know what kind of result I should see as an evidence of "clean up" if the testing result will be the same. any further suggestion?

It should be easy enough to tell whether or not the sink still leaks. If it doesn't and if the drywall below it *looks* fine and smells fine, then don't worry about it. Stop harassing the poor little Curvularias. Without moisture they won't continue to grow and their spores will eventually dissipate. 

[JJY]

4 hours ago, Marc said:

As an HI, I don't offer mold inspections to anyone, but on every home inspection I do, I'm constantly on the lookout for water/moisture intrusion issues and suspected mold growth. My tools are my nose and eyes, and that has served me very well.

I find suspected mold growth on the majority of my inspections.  It's almost always found within the indoor section of the AC system, where such system is within the conditioned spaces of the house. Most discoveries of suspected mold growth result in a recommendation to 'grab a bottle of Tilex and wipe it off'.

I keep a variety of equipment on hand, commonly used by others for ancillary services, to deploy whenever called for by the home inspection. I don't 'milk the cow' that has hired me to complete a home inspection.

Google  Curvularia spores. They're common in the atmosphere and tend to be especially important members of the air spora in tropical areas. They poses no known threat to humans, yet are assumed to be allergenic, like all species of mold spores.

 

Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge. Very appreciate it.

[JJY]

1 hour ago, Jim Katen said:

It should be easy enough to tell whether or not the sink still leaks. If it doesn't and if the drywall below it *looks* fine and smells fine, then don't worry about it. Stop harassing the poor little Curvularias. Without moisture they won't continue to grow and their spores will eventually dissipate. 

Got you. Thank you for providing guidance and suggestion when I was totally lost. So helpful! Haha, I imagine curvalarias was crying on the corner of the wall and didn't know why she/he suddenly becomes a target.

[Anatol]

19 hours ago, Jim Katen said:

Hi JJY, 

Believe it or not, there are no acceptable or unacceptable levels of any kind of mold in a house. Interpretation of these kinds of measurements is all based on myth, hearsay, & fantasy. 

Unless you're actually experiencing a problem, testing air for mold spores is a pointless waste of time & money. The only ones who benefit from it are the inspector and the mold lab. Within the profession, this is pretty much well known and people like you are seen as patsies.  

Do you see mold? 

Do you smell mold? 

If the answer to these questions is yes, figure out what caused the mold, eliminate the cause, and clean up the mold. (Mold is *always* a symptom of a water problem.) Then have a coke & a smile, and go on with your life. 

If the answer to these questions is no, then forget all about the imaginary mold, have a coke & a smile, and go on with your life.

 

 

What James said.  Around here, among certain inspector, the phrase is "Mold is Gold"

[JJY]

On 9/4/2020 at 2:48 PM, Anatol said:

What James said.  Around here, among certain inspector, the phrase is "Mold is Gold"

good to know. thank you!

[mathewjoseph]

Most molds are of the non-toxic variety. You can ignore it if doesn't affect the value of the property but always listen to experts before making the ultimate decision because a mold can cause unpleasant smell and health problems in the future. You have to decide whether fixing the issue is worth the price you will pay. As the seller couldn't fix the problem if you are interested enough to buy the home, you can ask the seller to reduce the price. If you still want an expert advice, contact link removed.

[Les]

2 hours ago, mathewjoseph said:

Most molds are of the non-toxic variety. You can ignore it if doesn't affect the value of the property but always listen to experts before making the ultimate decision because a mold can cause unpleasant smell and health problems in the future. You have to decide whether fixing the issue is worth the price you will pay. As the seller couldn't fix the problem if you are interested enough to buy the home, you can ask the seller to reduce the price. If you still want an expert advice, contact link removed.

What are you trying to say?  I really don't mean to come across as an ass, but. 

[Bill Kibbel]

1 hour ago, Les said:

What are you trying to say?  I really don't mean to come across as an ass, but.

Let me translate. 

"I'm a link dropper from Kakinada, India and I copy & past useless stuff on forums so saps will pay me for website SEO".