Can You Sell A House With Mold?

Mold is actually a very common problem for many houses in Houston and an issue in many real estate markets. Mold is caused by water and excessive moisture, and humid weather makes it a breeding ground for the fungus to flourish.

You really need to be careful if there is mold in your house. Not only can mold damage your house… it can also make the people living there sick if it’s not taken care of. At the same time, finding the mold and getting rid of it can be tedious and expensive.

Can You Sell A House As Is With Mold?

Yes, you can sell a house with mold without cleaning it, including selling a house with black mold. However, most banks and lenders will not issue a loan to a buyer with a defect such as mold growth in the property. Meaning unless the buyer is paying all cash, they likely won’t be able to buy the house.

Is It Legal To Sell A House With Mold?

It Is legal to sell a house with mold as long as it is disclosed in the sale of the house. If the seller knows about the mold issue, they must put it in writing in the seller disclosure form. If the mold issue is not disclosed, the seller broke the law and could be liable for damages should the buyer pursue legal action. In addition, if the buyer got sick from mold exposure, the seller could be held responsible. As long as you don’t try to hide anything, you can legally sell a house with mold.

How Much Does Mold Reduce Home Value?

Having a house that has been remediated from mold can cause a loss of 3-5% of the sale price due to the stigma associated with mold. If a house is being sold as-is with mold, the house may not pass a general home inspection or a mold inspection which would mean that you may need to sell it to a cash buyer that doesn’t have to get a loan on the property.

What Should I Do If I Have Mold?

Here are some options for dealing with mold:

Find The Mold Source And Clean

Before you get help dealing with the mold, it’s useful to figure out where the mold is coming from and how bad the problem is (if it isn’t a huge amount you may also do a mold test if you aren’t sure if it is mold). This will help you determine whether you need to hire an expert or whether you can take care of it yourself. Do everything in your power to not come into direct contact with the mold. Breathing it in can cause serious health problems. Always use a mask and gloves when doing any of the cleaning yourself.

If you have a little mold problem, you can usually clean it with baking soda dissolved in water. There are some aspects you can take care of yourself, such as scrubbing the mold from the walls, floors, or ceilings. Any porous or absorbent materials should be disposed of as it is near impossible to fully remove the mold spores. But again, this is only effective for very small, localized amounts of mold and not a huge mold infestation.

Call Mold Remediation Experts

If you find that your mold problem is more than you can handle, then it’s best to call a mold professional for analysis and removal. This can be a pretty intense process that might even require you to leave your home for a little bit. The cost is usually between $600 and $5,000 depending on how bad the problem is.

Cleaning up mold can be expensive, as mold removal companies can cost a fortune, but in many cases, their services are worth it. It isn’t always about what you can see sometimes there can be mold growing inside of the walls.

Once the job has been completed, schedule an inspection and get it in writing that the problem no longer exists.

Selling Disclosure For Mold

If you decide to list the house to sell on the market with a Realtor, it is important to tell your agent there are mold issues. You will need to disclose any repaired or ongoing problems, mold problems, and the steps you have taken to remedy the situation. Obtain a Certification Of Repair and have the information as to what has been done at your immediate disposal. It is very important that you disclose everything to potential buyers to avoid a lawsuit down the road.

Sell As Is For Cash

If you don’t have the time or money to deal with the mold problem you can sell it for cash to house buying company like us. Most house buyers will buy your house as-is with mold and all. You won’t make as much money as fixing all the issues up and then listing it on the market, but you also won’t have to deal with any of the hassles of permitting or remediation that might come with putting the house back into a liveable condition.

If you would like an offer on your house, as it is right now, fill out the form below or give our team a call to learn more about how we can help you. There is never any obligation.

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