Of spores and mold

The house that I've been trying to buy had a couple of issues that appeared during the inspection: the roof had some hail damage, and there was a small amount of mold. Concerned that the mold could cause significant damage in the future or pose a health hazard, I had a thorough (and somewhat expensive) inspection performed. The mold inspector took air samples at various points in the house and sent them to a lab, which used optical microscopy to determine the types and concentrations of mold throughout the house. The inspector said that he is continually impressed with the efficacy of this test, since it identifies all spores in the air and can locate mold that cannot be observed visually. He said that, generally speaking, the concentration of mold in the house must be ten times that of the outside air to warrant remediation.

The results came back this morning, and it turns out that the concentration of mold inside the house is less than 16% of the outside concentration, so there is clearly no health hazard. Mold spores are present in every house, but they need moisture to grow. It seems that the extra moisture was supplied by the gutters, which are filled with leaves, and the chimney, which needs a rain shield and some minor mortar work. Both of these are easy to fix, and I plan to address them as soon as I move in. I'll also get a dehumidifier, just in case. The inspector said that none of the issues are out of line for a house built in 1940 (stated another way, any other house in this neighborhood would have at least as many spores because it would be approximately the same age).

The results are a huge relief and blessing. I was dreading the prospect of shopping for another place. It would be very difficult to find another house in this location at this price, unless it lacked the quality or features of the current one. Trying to purchase a different house would set the process back a couple more months, which would also delay my involvement in Brookside.

My realtor hasn't set a closing date yet. The sellers' insurance is going to replace the roof, and they're going to have a contractor clean out the mold that is there now. Hopefully I'll move in a few weeks. The mold inspection was money well spent; I now have confidence that the house is reasonably solid.