Many of today’s real estate professionals have arrived at the conclusion that mold kills their sales. It’s hard to argue with that opinion when they are constantly bombarded by predatory mold remediation and testing companies telling them that their client is going to die, or that they risk being sued. Couple that with the extreme amount of misinformation on the internet and it’s no wonder many realtors avoid being involved with homes that have mold.
The reality is, whether they like it or not, real estate professionals are going to encounter mold in one of their listings at some point regardless of how exclusive the property may be.
Innovative Restoration Technologies encourages the realtors we work with to look at mold in a different way. We want them to look at mold growth as a water problem, not a mold problem. After all, if there isn’t enough moisture present, mold will not grow. When faced with visible mold growth in one of their listings, it is vitally important to determine what caused, or is causing, the mold growth to occur. By having realtors think in this manner, we help protect them from potential liability. I can’t tell you how many calls I’ve received where the realtor can’t understand why an area of mold growth keeps returning. After all, the handyman bleached the wall and painted over it with his special mold preventing paint. Well, here’s a little secret, if you don’t fix the source of the moisture, the mold will continue to grow; even through the handyman’s miracle paint. And as far as bleach goes, forget it as it is totally ineffective on porous materials. Porous materials like drywall have to be removed and replaced.
What do we mean by “moisture?” We separate problematic moisture into 2 categories, “free water” and “high humidity.” Free water is physical water. We associate it with floods caused by pipe leaks, overflows, drain backups, failed water heaters, etc. High humidity is moisture in a gas, or vapor, state. Living in Florida, we all have felt the effects of high humidity when we’re outside during the summer. High humidity in the indoor environment is associated with inefficient air conditioning systems or not operating the air conditioning at all. An indoor relative humidity greater than 60% provides enough moisture to support mold growth. Mold growth resulting from high humidity is usually evidenced by sporadic mold growth throughout the room or the house itself. You’ll see mold growth on any organic material, like paper, wood, leather and settled dust.
Many of the problems real estate professionals encounter are from working with a handyman to address mold issues in their listings. If they would partner with a reputable mold remediation contractor like Innovative Restoration Technologies, they could feel comfortable that these mold problems were properly handled thereby eliminating the liability they take on when they have a handyman paint over mold growth and not solve the underlying water problem. At Innovative Restoration Technologies, we provide our real estate partners with free inspections of their listings. We provide them with guidance on how to properly advise their client about the mold in their home. There are many cases where a handyman can do the work and a full scale mold remediation is not needed, but it all starts with a proper inspection that includes moisture testing the affected materials to determine the source of the water causing the mold growth.
Should you have any questions about any of the information in our blog, please feel free to contact the owner of Innovative Restoration Technologies, Pat Rogusky, on (772)257-4964. If calling long distance, call (866)254-5337. Pat is a State-Licensed Mold Remediator(#MRSR122), an ACAC Council-Certified Microbial Remediation Supervisor(CMRS – #0905001) and has been completing mold remediation projects in South Florida for over 10 years.
