Mould is a scary thing to have in your home, but sometimes it’s not always visible to the untrained eye. As we saw in the High River episode of Holmes Makes it Right, water damage and mould can ruin a home. So if you’re looking to invest in real estate, and are concerned about mould, then you’ll want to read our latest fan question response from Mike Holmes below!
HGTV Canada’s Facebook fan, Diane Cote asked, “How can I know if there’s mould in a house? Been looking to buy a house here in AB and they’re so expensive and not really in good shape. So not sure what to look for but…”
Mike Holmes replied, “One of the first things you’ll notice is the smell. Mould smells musty, mossy or like mildew. Dehumidifiers can help with getting rid of the smell-because they get rid of moisture. So if you’re looking at a house and you see two or three dehumidifiers it could be a red flag for mould. You also want to check for surface mould, especially black mould-on the baseboards, trim, windowsills, walls, on ceiling corners. And once you’ve narrowed down a home you’d like to buy always get a home inspection.
Qualified home inspectors are trained to find all the potential problems a home can have-including mould. They’ll be looking for surface mould as well, but they have the right training, experience and equipment to spot all the red flags. A qualified home inspector will even poke their head in the attic and check to see if there’s any surface mould on the roof sheathing too. And if the home inspector you hire is also a certified thermographer, you can pay a little extra and get a home inspection that includes thermography, which can detect moisture issues hidden behind walls. Remember, where there’s moisture there could be mould.”
Check back next week for more tips from the pro, and don’t forget to tune in for all-new episodes of Holmes Makes it Right, Tuesdays at 9pm ET.
