If you expect to sell your home sometime in the future, curb appeal isn’t the only thing you need to keep in mind as you care for your home. A dangerous issue such as mold can both affect your home’s selling power and reduce its overall value on the market. Your sale price could take a serious hit due to the potential structural damage a mold infestation could cause and the related health hazards for residents. To prevent this, and whether you plan to sell in the near future or not, it’s important to contact mold damage repair specialists in your area as soon as you notice an issue.
Here’s how mold can negatively impact residential properties and what can be done to remove the issue and prevent it from recurring.
Consequences of Mold Damage
Health Risks
First and foremost, mold has the potential to negatively impact the health of your family. It’s not just a concern for future homeowners. Since mold often results in poor indoor air quality, you could experience a host of health problems.
According to the CDC, mold can cause symptoms such as a stuffy nose, sore throat, coughing, burning or itchy eyes, or a skin rash. Asthma sufferers or people who are allergic to mold may experience even more serious health problems, including headaches and other neurological issues. It can even compromise the immune system.
While everyone may react to mold differently, it’s best to err on the side of caution and take quick action to remove it from your home.
Property Valuation
Residential property values go up and down based on a number of factors, including market conditions and the home’s upkeep. If you want to sell your house or take out a new loan, an appraisal may be required to assess your home’s current market value.
Should a home inspector or appraiser find mold in your home, its property valuation may drop. In fact, according to US News & World Report, in addition to impacting your negotiation ability during a home sale, the presence of mold is often a mandatory disclosure. In some states, if you’re aware of the existence of mold in your home and fail to inform a homebuyer, you could face legal consequences as a result.
Since the cost of mold damage repair is likely to be less than the hit you’ll take to your property value, it’s best to take action as soon as you suspect there’s an issue.
Buyer Appeal
Not only can mold impact how much you’re able to get for your home, but it may also impact how many offers you get altogether. According to a 2005 report, only 58 percent of buyers with knowledge of mold contamination in a home would still be willing to make an offer.
That cuts your pool of prospective buyers nearly in half. On top of that, the report found that buyers willing to make an offer would come in with a bid so low that the seller would likely not consider it to be reasonable.
Mold Damage Repair
While mold has the potential to wreak havoc on your home and health, the good news is there are specialists able to come to your rescue. Save yourself the stress of compromising your family’s health and your home’s property value by investing in mold damage repair—also called mold remediation.
While many companies perform mold removal services, the Biodynamic team sets itself apart from the rest. We’re the only company in the Pacific Northwest committed to a non-toxic process called bio-remediation that keeps your family safe even after our work is complete.
We also believe in providing transparency and open lines of communication. You’ll have access to job notes and photos throughout the process, so you’ll always know exactly what’s going on inside your home.
Be sure to hire a company that uses third-party testing. This helps ensure the project is conflict-free, giving you full confidence in its integrity.
Biodynamic does not do its own testing. Instead, a third party is brought in to perform qPCR exit testing—the highest standard in mold remediation. In fact, we are the only company in the Western US that routinely passes qPCR exit testing. An astounding 85 percent of our projects pass third-party exit testing on the first attempt, compared to only 50 to 60 percent for most other companies.
That means we are more likely to get the job done right on our first try, so you can have peace of mind knowing you and your family will get the results you deserve and quickly. Once you’re satisfied with our work, we’ll rebuild any materials damaged by mold.
While it may take some time, we promise to do everything we can to make your home feel like home again.
Preventing Mold Damage
Of course, the best approach you can take is a proactive one. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a few tips and tricks to help prevent mold damage altogether.
As the EPA notes, “The key to mold control is moisture control.” Since mold is unable to grow without moisture, controlling moisture will assist you in preventing future mold growth.
With that in mind, be sure to repair all leaks and water issues as soon as possible. Remove and dry out any wet items. Keep indoor humidity levels low. Ventilate spaces where moisture tends to be present, such as bathrooms, by running the fan or opening a window. Clean your roof gutters and ensure they’re well-maintained.
Of course, when needed, call in experts. A professional team can remove mold and musty odors from your home, as well as restore or rebuild any damaged items.
To learn more about Biodynamic’s mold removal services, give us a call. Mold remediation can be a lengthy, disruptive process. But we’ll make it as stress-free as possible so you and your family will be able to breathe easy, and your home will be able to maintain its value.
