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How Does a Mold Inspection Work?

Mold-Inspection-Work

If you’re a newbie real estate agent, buying and selling properties, or just your average homeowner looking to put your property on the market, or simply looking for help on getting rid of mold in your home, you know that mold growth is a common problem in a lot of homes and commercial buildings that could adversely impact your property’s market value. 

Aside from depreciating the market value of all properties, mold can also cause significant structural issues if left undetected for years. What is even worse is that excessive mold exposure can even endanger the health of the residents. 

Hence, if you’re convinced that there’s a lurking mold problem somewhere in your residence or commercial property, immediately start investigating the source and the extent of the problem before it can cause more serious trouble. The good news is you don’t have to do it yourself, especially if it has escalated beyond your control. There are mold remediation experts that has the necessary tools, equipment, and experience that can handle your mold problem for you without breaking the bank. But first, it is important to begin with a thorough mold inspection. 

Mold Inspections

A mold inspection will be able to provide you a clear-cut assessment of any property you wish to test for a potential mold infestation. This process goes beyond visual inspections and it also includes an assessment of possible water damage and leaks that could be the source of moisture that is causing mold to develop in your home. Moreover, mold experts will be able to evaluate which areas of your home have been badly affected by mold and which ones will need repairs or a full replacement. 

Mold inspection and testing is especially important for home buyers because purchasing a property riddled with a hidden mold issue will cause you more money for repairs and mold remediation. Otherwise, if you’re persistent on getting the property despite having mold issues, you can use that as a bargaining chip to negotiate for a lower price point. 

Mold inspection Virginia Beach offers affordable mold inspection methods and testing from independent labs that will help give you a clear picture of the condition of your home or business with a full-written report free from commitments and hidden fees. 

What Should be Covered in a Mold Inspection?

Now that you are ready to get your property inspected and tested for mold infestation, here’s what should be covered in the mold inspection process. 

Evaluation

The first part of the mold inspection begins with you telling the mold specialist of any history of flooding or water damage, including any observed musty odor, visible water stains or forming mold colonies. This is important in diagnosing the extent of the problem and in probing which areas to inspect further. 

Visual Inspection

After the short probing or interview, the mold specialist will conduct a full-on investigation of the accessible areas of your property, searching for possible water penetration, leaks, and other potential issues that could be a cause for high humidity and moisture levels inside your home. This also involves locating visible spots and hidden areas with mold growth using various special devices such as moisture meters, hydrometers, borescopes (for checking some interior sections of walls), and laser thermometers. Along with these, the inspector will also take digital photographs of your property for documentation. 

Testing (if paid for)

Following a visual inspection, the mold specialist will now take mold samples from visual mold colonies for lab testing and analysis. This will help you identify what type of mold you are dealing with and whether it is generally harmless or toxic.

In addition, air and surface sampling could also be taken to assess the indoor air quality of your home and to detect the presence of airborne mold spores. The test samples are crucial in a mold inspection because through a lab testing, you’ll get a thorough and accurate report of the condition of your home and from there, you’ll be able to decide whether a mold remediation is necessary. 

Reporting

Finally, a comprehensive written report of the findings, conclusions and recommendations will be sent to you. With this, you can expect to learn the type of mold present, the severity of the mold problem, the areas that are needing treatment or a replacement, the problem areas or sources of moisture inside your home, and your viable options to fix these problems. 

How Much Does a Mold Inspection Cost?

Finally, the cost of getting a professional mold inspection will vary on the size of the area you are looking to inspect. For example, a one story home vs a two story home, or a 2,000 sf home vs a 6,000 foot home could vary in price. Pricing is normally based on a control sample (normally taken outside of the property) and then control samples (used any 1 or multiple areas that you suspect may have mold). These results are compared to see if levels are higher than the natural environment. 

There are also multiple methods of testing such as “swap” testing and air sampling. Swab testing is only good for testing a very small area while air scrub testing can test air quality further away from the mold source (which is useful for testing if mold spores are traveling or for things like HVAC units). so if you’re looking to get a more accurate quote, it would be best to call a mold professional such as Mold Inspection & Testing Virginia Beach to get estimates that are suited to your needs.

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