One of the most common requests for a mold check is when a property is being bought or sold. Home or office buyers, realtors and bankers want to make sure there is not going to be a serious problem. Depending on the size of the building (and to what extent major problems exist), MTS can provide an economical and quick mold assessment. Initial results and lab tests can often be provided 2-3 days after testing.
In a typical pre-purchase assessment, we perform a walk around the building (drainage concerns) and a walk through the building looking for obvious visible mold, musty odors and water damage. This may include a brief check of the attic (if accessible). We spot check exterior walls with moisture meters. If allowed, we may pull back baseboards and cut small holes into exterior basement walls to check for mold. We may collect tape tests of visible mold. This assessment assumes no significant destructive testing is performed (opening up walls ,etc). The assessment is limited to readily accessible areas and is not meant to be a check of every room.
No mold assessment is complete without AIRBORNE mold testing (standard undisturbed tests). High airborne mold levels often occur in vacant, remodeled or damp buildings even when no visible mold is obvious. A typical limited assessment includes 1- 2 airborne mold tests on a main floor and 2 tests in the basement. In warm weather, an outside airborne mold test is included. In some cases, additional DISTURBED testing may be warranted where airborne mold may have been previously stirred up and has since settled out. In these cases, standard testing may show misleading apparently normal levels. There are extra fees for this.
The typical pre-purchase assessment includes a written report, site sketch and photos. The report includes field observations, moisture meter notes, field IAQ meter readings (relative humidity and carbon dioxide), visible and airborne mold lab analyses, interpretation of the data and conclusions and recommendations. A typical minimum assessment costs about $400 plus tax plus travel.
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