If you have been living in Florida for any length of time, it’s likely you’ve encountered mold in a house or heard stories about people having mold in their home.  The humidity is so high down here that it’s very likely at some point this unwanted guest will show up.  One of the biggest killers of real estate deals is mold. It flat out scares people and causes transactions to fall apart.  It’s a shame because simple education can shed light on the fact that many of these mold cases are minor and can quickly be resolved.

Just last week we had one of our properties’ testing come back with mold in it.  You could actually smell it and it was starting to grow on some of the walls.  Turns out, when the owner left town they put the A/C fan to the “on” position.  That’s a big NO NO! You need to make sure it’s left on auto and your A/C is at about 78 degrees so that it keeps the unit cool and pulls the moisture out of the air.

We are lucky enough to have a great (and very reasonable!) mold contractor who warranties all his work for 10 years. He assessed the situation and took care of it. Most remedies include a thorough wipe down of every surface area in the house, running HEPA vacuums to extract and clean all the air, and cleaning out the air handler and ductwork.  In some cases you need to have drywall removed and replaced. It all depends on the extent of the damage and how the mold came to be.

In many cases, I’ve had several quotes that were thousands of dollars to have the work done when mold shows up.  However, there are a lot of companies that will overcharge you for work that’s not necessary.  Make sure you do your homework and are comfortable with who you are dealing with.  I’ve even heard stories of inspectors going around kicking the baseboards in a house to stir up dust/mold so that when they test the house it shows up on the test.

If you have mold issues or concerns, please call me at 239.825.2234 and I’d be glad to recommend my contractor to you.  I know it can be scary, but in most cases it can easily be fixed.  Good luck!

Gabe Mellein was voted a Top Real Estate Agent – Exceptional in Service and Overall Satisfaction by Gulfshore Life Magazine in 2012.  He is the broker of Gulf Pointe Properties, Inc and has over 8 years experience in the SW Florida Real Estate Market.  He is a member of The Naples Area Board of Realtors, Bonita Springs – Estero Association of Realtors, Realtor Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach, The Florida Association of Realtors, The National Association of Realtors, and is nationally certified in Feng Shui for Real Estate.  Need real estate help?  Please contact Gabe at:  239.825.2234, Gabe@GulfPointeProperties.com  or www.GulfPointeProperties.com