The presence of mold is a contentious issue for building owners, builders, insurance companies, real estate agents and others. Mold addendums to sales contracts are now offered by many real estate boards for use by their members in sales transactions. As a professional appraiser or inspector you need to understand mold and all its…
Read More
Fresh Air = Fresh Business Like many inspectors, Jack Leith, owner of A+ Inspection, takes the mold issue very seriously. He has completed numerous training courses to learn how to inspect for mold so he can provide a more complete inspection for his clients. But he had a problem. And as is often the case,...…
Read More
Appraising Disasters: When the Levee Breaks Part II: Real Work Begins By David Phillips, SRA As the date for the inspections drew closer, we enlisted the help of the Village Clerk. She was an invaluable partner in the process because she had addresses and phone numbers for most residents. After the flood, many residents went...…
Read More
Appraisers and Mold – Responsibility, Competency and Liability By Doug Smith, IFAS The mold issue is a developing story and one that is gaining momentum everyday. When it comes to mold, there are three important areas appraisers need to consider. First, due to the dangerous nature of some molds, appraisers must take their responsibilities seriously...…
Read More
Meet a Mold Inspector Even in one of the driest spots on earth—the Las Vegas desert, there is plenty of work for mold inspector Vladimir Primaky. “It may be dry outside but inside there are plenty of opportunities for moisture intrusion that can cause mold to grow, such as roof leaks, leaky pipes, improperly adjusted...…
Read More
State of the Art Mold Test Now Available Lighthouse Laboratories is now providing state-of-the-art DNA testing for Stachybotrys Chartarum (toxic or black mold) through the collection of a simple dust sample. The test uses real time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) methodologies developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The DNA test is considered highly...…
Read More
Understanding Residential Construction from the Ground Up Expand Your Knowledge, Gain CE Credit Appraisers who would like to understand residential property “from the ground up” can expand their knowledge of the systems of a home while earning continuing education credit through two courses offered by Mckissock. New HUD guidelines, which expand the role of appraisers...…
Read More
In almost all cases mold grows where there is excess moisture in a building or on building materials that contain cellulose or other organic material. This means that to find mold you must first “find the water.”
Mold grows by using moisture in the form of water and vapor. Catastrophic events such a roof leak, sewage…
Read More
New Sites * Mold, Indoor Air Quality Forum (www.iaqforum.net): Jeff Deuitch, microbiologist and real estate appraiser moderates. * Fraud Watchdog Site (www.mortgagefraudwatchlist.org): Moderated by appraiser Pam Crowley. Report sales or refinance transactions that have suspicious activity. Information is turned over to the proper authorities for investigation. Read more here. * Cell Tower Blog (http://wirelessdatacloud.blogspot.com) written…
Read More
Mold Inspectors: Proceed with Caution! by Jeff Jeffrey Deuitch If you are inspecting for mold and promoting yourself as a certified professional after completing only limited training/education, you may want to proceed with caution. Most states have no regulation or licensing of mold professionals. The increasing demand for mold professionals has led to the birth...…
Read More
