I made a stupid mistake trying to sell this house

[Anybodyhome]

So, a couple moving parts here. North Carolina:

First of all, a certified mold inspector will come out and inspect and take samples of anything suspicious he/she finds. Those samples are sent to a lab. I used CEI/Eurofins in Cary. They will provide a detailed analysis of each sample, telling you of the concentration as well as whether or not it's active or dead.

Then, and only then, upon the decision of the homeowner, does a remediation contractor come into play.

Keep in mind, the inspectors, the lab and the remediation companies all have state licenses, which are easily verified through both your local county health department and the state Department of Insurance.

[LinvilleGorge]

2 hours ago, thefuzz said:

No.  When you are specialized people call you to put them in touch with the folks who are selling said properties...typically vacant land, or properties with multiple rentals on them.

When this happens I prefer not to enter into dual agency, one party just remains unrepresented...but it does happen especially in niche areas of real estate...which is where I operate.

As to the leech thing, you go try to sell 150 lots to a builder or developer without an experienced agent involved and see how you come out.  Could be great, could lose a LOT more than 6%.

I'm speaking solely about houses here.

[toldozer]

Where are you located? If you contacted the agent and he already had a buyer he's probably not representing you. If you're in the Charlotte area I can try and help but not if you already signed a buyers agency agreement with this agent.

[thefuzz]

19 hours ago, LinvilleGorge said:

I'm speaking solely about houses here.

 

That was my point though, it has it's uses, and can be valuable, but I wouldn't recommend in most all circumstances...however there is a place for it in the industry.

[Squirrel]

So I'm buying a house now in Illinois.   We just had a inspection of the house and it had mold in the attic.  Talking to the inspector and realtor which both are working for me.  They said about 50% of the houses have mold in them.  In thise case it was just white mold and could get mold mitigation done by a company and be certified clear.   

 

Basically with the temperatures in Illinois in the winter and moisture of the house mold is very easy to form here. 

[LinvilleGorge]

56 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

So I'm buying a house now in Illinois.   

Appropriate post in a thread where the title starts off "I made a stupid mistake..."

LOL!

[Anybodyhome]

5 hours ago, Squirrel said:

So I'm buying a house now in Illinois.   We just had a inspection of the house and it had mold in the attic.  Talking to the inspector and realtor which both are working for me.  They said about 50% of the houses have mold in them.  In thise case it was just white mold and could get mold mitigation done by a company and be certified clear.   

 

Basically with the temperatures in Illinois in the winter and moisture of the house mold is very easy to form here. 

As a former state licensed real estate home inspector in both Virginia and NC, and a former housing code inspector, and code administrator for a major municipality in NC, I will explain how county health departments and city housing code people deal with reports/complaints of mold.

Simply put, the mold is not the problem. The mold is the result of the problem- that being a higher than normal moisture content inside the dwelling. Higher than normal moisture content and the resulting mold are not normal and should not be accepted as such.

Start from the bottom and work up. Crawl space or basement- look for water intrusion, moisture intrusion and measure the humidity, not only the air, but the framing lumber as well.

Inside the house, look for plumbing leaks. The 2 biggest sources of high moisture content and higher than normal humidity are the laundry room and the bathrooms. Is the dryer vent properly installed and vented to the outside and not just dumping into the crawl space? Holes or leaks in the duct? Is there a working exhaust fan in the bathroom and/or a ventilating window? Is there any indication of mold in the bathroom, either the ceilings or walls?

Mold in the attic? Is there a ridge vent in the roof or operating gable vents on both ends of the house? One or both of these are designed specifically to keep air moving in the attic. Air circulation prevents mold, moisture buildup and also keeps the heat down in the attic. Hot air rises, and in the winter in houses, it rises through the house into the attic. And from there it further rises and escapes via the ridge vent or the gable vents.

I would suggest resolving the moisture issue, then you're not repeatedly trying to mitigate mold and never addressing the reason it's there to begin with.

[toldozer]

I have a client with water penetration issue in the basement in a 500k property. Got a quote to fix it and it's almost 12k to correct the situation (not just cover up the mold). You're 100% right, the mold isn't the issue it's a creature of the environment.  If you just remediate the mold (aka paint over it) it'll just come back. Long story short the seller is giving my buyer 12k towards closing. Unheard of last year.

[Doc Holiday]

So, can’t speak for certain without knowing exact info, which I honestly don’t care to involve myself in. But 100% sounds like you’re being scammed. 
 

it may be worth talking to a local agency to see if there has been a similar scam around. You also may need to consult with an attorney with regards to breaking contract with your current realtor. 

you should be asking a bunch of questions in a very stern manner and I wouldn’t pay a dime unless I was fully satisfied.
 

People don’t do $5k worth of work and then ask for it all at the end. No reputable contractor does this, part of why I think it’s a scam. 

[cardiackat88.]

6 hours ago, Doc Holiday said:

So, can’t speak for certain without knowing exact info, which I honestly don’t care to involve myself in. But 100% sounds like you’re being scammed. 
 

it may be worth talking to a local agency to see if there has been a similar scam around. You also may need to consult with an attorney with regards to breaking contract with your current realtor. 

you should be asking a bunch of questions in a very stern manner and I wouldn’t pay a dime unless I was fully satisfied.
 

People don’t do $5k worth of work and then ask for it all at the end. No reputable contractor does this, part of why I think it’s a scam. 

Yea, there is much much more that made me think that also.

I can say I have learned a lesson here, and I will be teaching my children how to not make mistakes like this.

Overall, it cost me $2,800 and a temporary lapse of sanity.

I absolutely chewed out and fired my realtor, then sternly spoke to the mold remediation guy.

I am just glad this is all behind me, the $2,800 being the collateral.