Mold concerns often start with moisture or visible warning signs. Explore how a home inspection, specialized mold evaluation, and third-party testing can help you understand what needs further investigation.
As I have discussed on several occasions in past articles, I have seen a lot of changes in the home inspection business over the years. The basic scope of the inspection hasn’t changed in over 40 years. However, the number of “red flags” that we look for and disclose has increased ten-fold.
I want to speak about one red-flag and point out some misunderstandings about mold inspections and testing within the home inspection process.
20+ years ago, I attended a seminar that was specifically targeted at getting home inspectors into the business of mold testing. After 3 full days of teaching the class and explaining the causes and possible effects of mold in homes, the presenter put up a slide (yes, we were still using slides back then) that announced that “Mold is Gold”. This was followed with another slide that told us how we could order our mold testing equipment and supplies (not coincidentally from the presenter’s mold testing company). I was not happy.
“If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull****.”
W.C. Fields
I turned to my neighbor in the class and told him that I didn’t feel at all prepared to go out and start doing mold testing. More important, I was not sure how I could explain to a client what the results of the mold tests meant. Sure, I could confirm that there was mold in their attic, basement, kitchen, or bathroom, but in the end, what did we really know about the problem after the mold testing was done? How was I going to explain to my clients the difference between stachybotrys and aspergillus? What are the health effects to my client? How was I going to explain that one mold was worse than another? It wasn’t until a few weeks later that I understood that the class that I attended was a weekend long discussion of the classic W.C. Fields quote, “If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull****.”
My concern after that early seminar was not whether mold testing could ever be useful. It was whether I had the specialized knowledge to select the right tests and explain the results responsibly. We initially chose not to perform mold testing with our home inspections.
Today, Dunsing Inspections offers mold testing through a third-party specialist. This service measures mold in collected samples and provides information that can help answer specific questions about a property. Contact our office to discuss your concerns and the appropriate testing options.
Testing should have a clear purpose. The U.S. EPA explains that sampling is generally unnecessary when mold growth is already visible, and there are no federal airborne mold concentration limits that establish a universal pass or fail result. A test result also does not determine whether someone will experience health effects. Learn more in the EPA's guidance on mold testing and sampling.
During a home inspection, we look for visible conditions and moisture-related red flags that may warrant further evaluation. A standard home inspection does not replace a specialist's mold evaluation. If you see suspected mold, notice a persistent musty odor, or have a history of water intrusion, tell your inspector so those concerns can be discussed.
Finding and correcting the moisture source remains an important part of addressing mold. Testing may be useful when a specialist recommends it to identify a suspected material, evaluate a specific concern, or assess cleanup. The testing plan should explain what question the samples are intended to answer and how the results will be interpreted.
Dunsing provides access to mold testing through a third-party specialist rather than asking a homebuyer to interpret laboratory results alone. Ask about the scope of the evaluation, sampling methods, interpretation of results, and the current fee before scheduling. If you have health concerns, discuss them with your healthcare provider.
Be thoughtful about potential conflicts of interest when a company both evaluates a mold concern and sells the cleanup. Clear documentation and an explanation of the findings help you make an informed decision.
The home purchase journey has a lot of twists and turns. Don’t be surprised if your inspector recommends a specialist’s review of certain items found during the inspection. Environmental consulting, in particular, requires special knowledge of the various pitfalls that are encountered.