How much risk? house with Mold...

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Road Guy

Road Guy

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okay so this type house in my area goes for $550K and up..

apparantley it flooded,, I havent seen it in person.. but most houses in our subdivision stay on market about 2 days max..

How much of a PIA would this be to mitigate? replace all the subfloor and sheetrock? Im thinking $20K max if I pay someone? I dont really know? or would this be a problem that will never go away / kill my fmaily / etc..

I dont think I want to mess with but if I could low ball them for say $400K? house is vacant about to be forclosed on??

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2565-Bay-Point-Ln-Broomfield-CO-80023/71346482_zpid/

 
The first question is if it has been tested for the type of mold yet? I question this because while there is a warning about the mold, that warning isn't exactly following the proper disclosure.

If not, I would request the test first before even considering it. If you wish to sell in the future, you will have to disclose any black mold issues as well as the documented treatment procedure you followed to rid the house of it.

Keep in mind just because the color of the mold is black does not mean it is toxic, and even other colored molds can grow to a point where they are toxic enough to cause allergy symptoms and make you sick.

Depending on state requirements, if you have it tested, and it's not black mold, then you could feasibly do the remediation yourself (trash porous materials, and clean the solid ones). If it is black mold, you may be required to have a professional service clean up, though this may be a good idea anyway since that will ensure any future buyers know it was cleaned correctly and that there is nothing hidden in the walls.

Looking at the price history, it was listed for a full month at $200,000 and then taken off the market and re-listed two months later for more than double- that could indicate that they had it tested, and it was negative, but I probably wouldn't offer anything over $200,000 or at least ask why they jacked the price up again.

 
Not sure I would guess a water line broke?

I'll ask realtor for the test reports ...

I'm sure a builder would jump on this and flip it.... I am leery but its worth inquiring....

It's so dry here I don't know why it wouldn't almost self mediate?

 
I'd say if you could replace all drywall, subfloor, flooring, and trim for $20k farming it out, you got one heck of a deal.

 
I am not so sure you could replace all of the drywall, insulation, paint, carpet or flooring, and electrical for 20K in a 4,400 sq ft house??

Maybe 100k?? Do you have a GC license??

 
he might not have to do the whole house... judging by the photos, some areas have already been ripped out... if those are the only impacted area, it's definitely worth it to inquire.... if the house was vacant and no one was running the central heat/air, then the spores wouldn't have moved far very fast...

 
Until I see the extent of the damage I wouldn't know I can't tell from the pictures it looks like it's not the whole house is just a couple of rooms.

I could do a lot of this work myself

I'm sure they would make the mold remediation be done by a professional but they can't prevent me from working on my own house

 
Road Guy said:
Until I see the extent of the damage I wouldn't know I can't tell from the pictures it looks like it's not the whole house is just a couple of rooms.

I could do a lot of this work myself

I'm sure they would make the mold remediation be done by a professional but they can't prevent me from working on my own house
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I think it would be smart to have demo and remediation done by a professional, but no, once that is done you'll get a piece of paper from the company saying it was clean and you should be able to do what you want except if it's financed, because if it's financed, then it isn't your own house. I bought my first home as a foreclosed property and my mortgage company required me to get quotes from the contractors and put that money in escrow at the time of closing until I had the items they identified repaired (sucked because I had to give them money, then pay to get it fixed to get my money back).

 
Ship Wreck PE said:
You might have to pull permits??
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again it just depends on how much needs to be done... if no electrical is being messed with and he isn't altering supporting walls and structural beams, tie ins to sewer and drainage or any egress formats then he might not need one and even at that if he doesn't exceed the threshold of specific costs he may not need one...

 
wife isnt real fond of this option to be honest... but if its just even 4 rooms if I paid someone to mediate and hang sheetrock I can do most everything else myself (see the basement thread)

 
Road Guy said:
wife isnt real fond of this option to be honest... but if its just even 4 rooms if I paid someone to mediate and hang sheetrock I can do most everything else myself (see the basement thread)
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wasn't there a photo of a toilet in the middle of the room at one point in time in that thread, or am I thinking of someone else's remodel? :p

 
You could fly us all up there to help remodel your house?? You could maybe use us as a tax write off?? I can kinda finish drywall and I use to be an electrician.

 
alright that works for me! I still dont think this will fly but I had my realtor email the listing agent and see what documents they will provide...

And yes the very first bathroom layout had an odd location for the toilet, but the final product was well received.. I have hated I put all that work into my basement only to move, but at the same time If I hadnt I never would have sold the house that fast... I want to do another basement one day if I get the right house.. I still have the stripper pole after all..

 
Road Guy said:
alright that works for me! I still dont think this will fly but I had my realtor email the listing agent and see what documents they will provide...

And yes the very first bathroom layout had an odd location for the toilet, but the final product was well received.. I have hated I put all that work into my basement only to move, but at the same time If I hadnt I never would have sold the house that fast... I want to do another basement one day if I get the right house.. I still have the stripper pole after all..
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Depending on what they send you, you can give a company like ServePro a call and see if they can offer you a ball park figure of remediation costs. (Though a smaller company might be more willing to help)

 
<---Does mold testing here in Colorado :wave2:

I haven't done a ton of mold testing lately. The "mold-scare" was in the late 2000s. I detest the term 'toxic mold' (sorry EG). Mold produces mycotoxins, which cause allergic reactions. For someone like snick, I agree that mold could be a very serious issue (since she is allergic to everything). However, I did one project where the building owner was susceptible to the allergic affects, but I was not. He was walking around with a full respirator on, while I just walked right into the affectd warehouse unit. I'd be happy to take a look at the reports that they send you, if you want to email them to me.

 
Ill gladly send it to both of you....

Thanks!

This house buying is going to suck!!!!!!'

 
FLBuff PE said:
<---Does mold testing here in Colorado :wave2:

I haven't done a ton of mold testing lately. The "mold-scare" was in the late 2000s. I detest the term 'toxic mold' (sorry EG). Mold produces mycotoxins, which cause allergic reactions. For someone like snick, I agree that mold could be a very serious issue (since she is allergic to everything). However, I did one project where the building owner was susceptible to the allergic affects, but I was not. He was walking around with a full respirator on, while I just walked right into the affectd warehouse unit. I'd be happy to take a look at the reports that they send you, if you want to email them to me.
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tru dat! mold was my highest # in my allergy testing.

 

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