 Many people are surprised to find that mold is an issue for Flagstaff real estate. After all, Flagstaff is nearly as dry as the rest of the State of Arizona. Our homes don’t have musty basements and we rarely have mildew in damp (what’s that?) towels. But even in Flagstaff, mold can grow wherever there is moisture and the right temperature combination. Mold is a type of fungus that grows from tiny spores that float in the air. It can grow almost anywhere that there is moisture and a temperature of between 40 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit. That environment includes lots of space in Flagstaff homes. Molds cannot be completely eliminated, as they are a part of our natural environment. Fixing your water or moisture problem will prevent mold problems from developing. Some molds can be toxic and homeowners should not attempt to remove such types of mold.
The most common type of mold, called mildew, is easy to spot. It's the black stuff you see in the grout lines in your shower. To test for mildew, dab a few drops of household bleach on the blackened area. If it lightens after one to two minutes, you have mildew. If the area remains dark, it's probably just dirt. Besides being unsightly, mold can cause health problems, including hay fever-type symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, red eyes and skin rash. More seriously, mold can cause asthma attacks in people with asthma who are allergic to mold. You may suspect hidden mold if a building smells moldy, but you cannot see the source, or if you know there has been water damage and residents are reporting health problems. More buyers these days are aware of mold as an issue and may include indoor air-quality testing as part of the post-contract home inspection when deciding to purchase a home even if there is no evident odor. There are Flagstaff firms that provide these environmental testing services and your Realtor® can point you to them.  Mold may be hidden in Flagstaff homes such as the back side of dry wall, wallpaper, or paneling, the top side of ceiling tiles, the underside of carpets and pads, etc. Other possible locations of hidden mold include areas inside walls around pipes (with leaking or condensing pipes), the surface of walls behind furniture (where condensation forms), inside ductwork, and in roof materials above ceiling tiles (due to roof leaks or insufficient insulation). I had the awful experience in my ten-year old Flagstaff home of a small leak around one of my windows which forced water into one of the walls during one of our Flagstaff monsoon thunderstorms. Mold eventually grew from the wall to under my wood floor and when the floor began to buckle, we noticed the problem. By then, the monsoon season was long gone, but the mold had spread to a large area under the floor. My insurance company paid for repairs to the wall and replacement of the floor based on “water damage,” but did not pay for the “mold remediation” – but that was the least of the cost.
Here is what “mold remediation” is all about: To get rid of minor mold and mildew infestations, disinfect the area with a mild bleach and water solution, then seal with several coats of a primer/sealer and repaint with washable paint. It is wise to protect yourself while doing the mold clean-up by wearing a mask (which can be purchased at your local hardware store for less than $15), rubber gloves that cover your forearms, and goggles. For more extensive mold infestations, contact a professional who can help you determine the best way to deal with it. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has several publications that can provide more information to homeowners. One is Hidden Mold: A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home. Improving ventilation in damp areas of your home, such as the bathroom, tends to minimize mold problems. This is why it is important to make sure that bathroom fans function properly and if one does not function, you’re Flagstaff home inspector will make an issue of it. Awareness of the need for home ventilation has increased over the last several decades. Many older Flagstaff homes do not have as many attic or crawl space vents as newer homes, but vents are easy to add and doing so can be a good investment to prevent problems discussed here. Don’t close crawl space vents because you see moisture accumulating in the crawl space. Instead find the source of the moisture and eliminate it at its source. Several years ago, I had a Flagstaff client whose irrigation system sprayed into the crawl space, so they closed all the vents. Of course, moisture still got into the crawl space, but there was too little air to dry it out. The crawl area filled with toxic mold, requiring removal of all the insulation and sanding and treatment of the structural beams (with the material removed being disposed of as toxic waste). The work was done by people in space suits. This could have been prevented by turning the direction of the irrigation spray, or by adding a vent or two to the crawl space instead of closing the vents that were there! Here’s the “take-away” lesson for homeowners: If you see moisture, look for the source.  Be alert to breaks in caulk, missing shingles, cracked tuck-pointing. Stay ahead of the minor maintenance issues in your home and you are less likely to have big repairs. Make sure you have adequate ventilation to all parts of your Flagstaff home. If you are selling your home, it’s a good idea to have a pre-marketing inspection to discover and solve any issues (not just mold) before a buyer panics and backs out of a sale you thought you had made. Here’s the “take-away” lesson for home buyers: Finding mold in a home that you are buying (hopefully, during the inspection process and not after the closing) should not necessarily end the transaction for you. Obtain expert advice about necessary remediation. Mold can occur in any home, so don’t let it stand in the way of purchasing the home of your dreams. Instead, address the issues presented by discovering mold, deal with them, and move on to enjoy your new Flagstaff home. |
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