For Philadelphia & South Jersey: How to choose a mold inspector for your home

Spring has sprung and the housing market is heating up in the Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey region.

Conscientious homeowners know they need a professional mold inspector come to assess their property – even before they put their homes on the market.

There’s an up-side and a down-side to everything in life.
Building practices changed dramatically in response to the 1970’s oil crisis to create homes that are more energy efficient by making them air-tight.
The only problem is, water and moisture problems in air-tight environments led to an increase of mold growth in homes.
So, while energy efficiency has increased, health-threatening mold infestation has become a major issue in home value depreciation.

When selling your home, you know the problem isn’t the mold that you can see that’s the problem.
It’s the mold spores you can’t see, floating in the air of your home, that can compromise the sale of your house.

The 3 reasons you need to have a mold inspector assess your property for before you list it – even if you don’t suspect there’s a mold problem:
1. If mold is discovered during the buyer’s inspection, the deal will probably fall through and you’ll be delayed in selling your home
2. If mold is discovered during the buyer’s inspection, you’ll have to settle for far less than your home value due to innumerable legal implications during or after the sales transaction.
3. If your home is sold and mold is discovered shortly afterwards by the buyers, you could still be on the hook and legally responsible for the cleanup.

To avoid these problems, always have a mold inspector assess your property before you list it.

But here’s the thing: As a homeowner trying to sell your property, you need to be wary of “low-cost” companies advertising “free” testing.
Remember: you get what you pay for

Most of the companies selling “free” testing are selling you a conflict of interest!
Mold inspection, mold testing, and mold remediation are three different things.

Mold inspection can be done visually – even by the homeowner.
But a comprehensive mold assessment with mold testing should always be completed by a non-affiliated, third-party industrial hygienist. 
Protect yourself!
Without unbiased testing, there are many unethical restoration companies in our Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey region that manipulate test results to benefit themselves and take advantage of you, the consumer. 

Dependable restoration companies, like PuroClean Emergency Recovery Services will only do the work of mold remediation when a third-party hygienist is involved.

Choosing the right mold inspector for your Philadelphia area home can be tricky when you are unsure of where to begin the search.

These 5 tips for choosing a mold inspector can guide you through the process and help put your mind at ease knowing you can trust the person you choose and the results you are given.

• Always ask for references. When choosing a mold inspector you should never hire the first person you find in the telephone book or on the Internet. While many professionals are available to do the work, you will only know who you can trust when you talk to the people the company has already worked for.

• Determine the inspector’s level of certification and education. Some mold inspection companies do not require specific education but instead provide on-the-job training to their employees in the mold inspection business. Regardless if formal training is required by the employer, you should inquire about what they understand about the mold inspection process and how they became interested in completing mold inspections.

• Ask about the number of years the mold inspector has working in your particular location.

• Find out if the inspection company will also handle mold removal if mold is found in the home.
If they do, find another inspector!
There is an inherent conflict of interest here: Protect yourself from less than honorable contractors who do their own testing. They will almost always find mold so they can sell the job. And, they will always pass their own clearance test at the end of the job – whether the mold is gone or not.

• Request a written protocol for remediation from the mold inspector. A written protocol determines the scope of work for the mold removal experts. It is impossible to determine the budget for remediation without it!

For help in selecting a reputable mold inspector, or questions about mold testing and remediation, contact the professionals at PuroClean Emergency Recovery Services 877-750-7876