Buyer Beware

One of the reasons that it's recommended you have a home inspection done on any houses for sale in Ottawa you're offering to buy is that there are many problems a house could have that you wouldn't even be aware of as you're walking through it. You need a home inspector to uncover them. One of the most egregious and common hidden offenders is mold. Learn more about mold, why you don't want it in your house, and what finding it means for your home purchase prospects here.

Mold occurs when dampness combined with darkness and a warm environment give ordinary spores that ride in on clothes or in the air the opportunity to grow. Homes are necessarily warm and have spaces that remain dark for most of the day, but they shouldn't be damp on the inside unless something is wrong. The most common reasons for moisture problems in a house are leaks in the roof or around the windows and inadequate ventilation that allows steam from showers to linger in the house.

If you're lucky, the mold will grow on visible surfaces like tubs and painted walls where it is relatively easy to scrub off. However sometimes mold may be growing unnoticed between the walls, inside the ceiling, or in attics and basements where it's not possible to get at without removing panels. This type of mold is not easy to clean and in any case where there's mold, cleaning it up doesn't solve the problem. As long as the home has a moisture issue, the mold will keep coming back.

A regular home inspector is trained to recognize the warning signs of mold, including interior dampness, drywall stains, and musty smells. However, if you want to know the extent of your mold problem, what's causing it, and how much it will cost to fix, you will need to have a specialized Ottawa home inspection that specifically looks for this problem. Ottawa's regular home inspectors will usually be able to recommend one. They will do so if they feel there's a danger that mold has infiltrated further into the house than they can see.

Mold is an expensive problem to fix because it often means that walls need to be torn out and cracks and leaks need to be tracked down and fixed. This can be a major deterrent for people who are trying to buy a home that is move in ready or within their budget. However, buying a home at a renegotiated price and ignoring a mold problem until you have time to deal with it not a good idea. Mold triggers allergies and respiratory problems in people who breathe in the spores and certain kinds of mold also give off toxins that can make your family ill.

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