Crawlspace moisture

[jwg]

We had buyers for our home, we were beyond inspections and moving towards closing when they backed out of the deal causing a cascading situation which royally screwed us. The home inspector noted minor mold or fungus under the home. The home is in NC, so this isn't all too uncommon. We agreed to give the buyers 2k back to help remediate the crawlspace at closing. Now that they have backed out of course we have to disclose what we know about the mold/fungus. I have had several quotes to remediate it and they have been all across the board. They backed out due to a medical issue and not the home. There are a couple of different routes we could take with this. We could A: spray mold/fungus replace damaged insulation/install a vapor barrier B: encapsulate fully the much more expensive option and treat the mold. I did some research on this forum and I didn't find much current information on how appraisers are treating this now. I was a certified appraiser 10 years ago so I understand values require market data to support and you must be careful what you say. What can you say about this? Will encapsulation be reflected in the market approach in this market area?

 

[Fernando]

When there's mold, there's a reason. Is there water ponding in the crawl space? Broken pipe? Need to investigate or sell as is and let buyer deal with the issue.

I cleaned up mold in my tenant's unit last week. Yesterday I had a roof inspector come and he checked. He said there's no roof leak so if it's true, there's a condensation issue in the unit.
I told tenant to leave bathroom fan on even when after showering (I hate bathrooms with no window ventilation). Tenant said bath fan too loud and annoys baby.
I told tenant to open window to get air circulation and light. Mold loves wetness and darkness.
As a proactive landlord as Glen would be proud of me, I bought DampRid to absorb the moist air to lessen condensation in the rooms. I'm such a nice landlord.

 

[glenn walker]

We had buyers for our home, we were beyond inspections and moving towards closing when they backed out of the deal causing a cascading situation which royally screwed us. The home inspector noted minor mold or fungus under the home. The home is in NC, so this isn't all too uncommon. We agreed to give the buyers 2k back to help remediate the crawlspace at closing. Now that they have backed out of course we have to disclose what we know about the mold/fungus. I have had several quotes to remediate it and they have been all across the board. They backed out due to a medical issue and not the home. There are a couple of different routes we could take with this. We could A: spray mold/fungus replace damaged insulation/install a vapor barrier B: encapsulate fully the much more expensive option and treat the mold. I did some research on this forum and I didn't find much current information on how appraisers are treating this now. I was a certified appraiser 10 years ago so I understand values require market data to support and you must be careful what you say. What can you say about this? Will encapsulation be reflected in the market approach in this market area?

I doubt it

 

[Fernando]

I doubt it

I give better advice.

 

[jwg]

When there's mold, there's a reason. Is there water ponding in the crawl space? Broken pipe? Need to investigate or sell as is and let buyer deal with the issue.

I cleaned up mold in my tenant's unit last week. Yesterday I had a roof inspector come and he checked. He said there's no roof leak so if it's true, there's a condensation issue in the unit.
I told tenant to leave bathroom fan on even when after showering (I hate bathrooms with no window ventilation). Tenant said bath fan too loud and annoys baby.
I told tenant to open window to get air circulation and light. Mold loves wetness and darkness.
As a proactive landlord as Glen would be proud of me, I bought DamprRid to absorb the moist air to lessen condensation in the rooms. I'm such a nice landlord.

Its a crawlspace in the south with a HP air handler in it and a water heater. Thats about all the investigation that's needed. No broken pipes, no pools of water. Its just condensation on the floor joists. Relative humidity in it the other day was 88% with wood moisture content from 19% to 25% around the air handler.

 

[Fernando]

Its a crawlspace in the south with a HP air handler in it and a water heater. Thats about all the investigation that's needed. No broken pipes, no pools of water. Its just condensation on the floor joists. Relative humidity in it the other day was 88% with wood moisture content from 19% to 25% around the air handler.

There was one property I was thinking of buying and in the home inspection report, it indicated water in crawl space at corner of house.
It hasn't rain for months and I suspect the topography and the lawn sprinklers may be diverting water into that area.
Have you done a home inspection report.
In CA, almost all agents have a home inspection done for all buyers to see when making offers. This way you have control of a home inspector at your choosing to give "favorable" report for owner.
This way you wouldn't be getting these surprises and may have to adjust your list price if it is a serious issue.

 

[jwg]

There was one property I was thinking of buying and in the home inspection report, it indicated water in crawl space at corner of house.
It hasn't rain for months and I suspect the topography and the lawn sprinklers may be diverting water into that area.
Have you done a home inspection report.
In CA, almost all agents have a home inspection done for all buyers to see when making offers. This way you have control of a home inspector at your choosing to give "favorable" report for owner.
This way you wouldn't be getting these surprises and may have to adjust your list price if it is a serious issue.

My buyers home inspection revealed it. And thats not common here. Typically buyers select their own home inspectors from a reputable local company if they decide to put in an offer.

 

[Fernando]

My buyers home inspection revealed it. And thats not common here. Typically buyers select their own home inspectors from a reputable local company if they decide to put in an offer.

That's how it worked in the past in CA but new strategy is to have gotten a home inspection recommended by your listing agent.
That's another story.
When you read the home inspection, did it say why and what can be corrected?

 

[RCA]

We had buyers for our home, we were beyond inspections and moving towards closing when they backed out of the deal causing a cascading situation which royally screwed us. The home inspector noted minor mold or fungus under the home. The home is in NC, so this isn't all too uncommon. We agreed to give the buyers 2k back to help remediate the crawlspace at closing. Now that they have backed out of course we have to disclose what we know about the mold/fungus. I have had several quotes to remediate it and they have been all across the board. They backed out due to a medical issue and not the home. There are a couple of different routes we could take with this. We could A: spray mold/fungus replace damaged insulation/install a vapor barrier B: encapsulate fully the much more expensive option and treat the mold. I did some research on this forum and I didn't find much current information on how appraisers are treating this now. I was a certified appraiser 10 years ago so I understand values require market data to support and you must be careful what you say. What can you say about this? Will encapsulation be reflected in the market approach in this market area?

A smart buyer would assume that moisture could create all kinds of other problems, including not least of which is the cultivation of termites and other wood boring insects, who need moisture to thrive. Uncovering the extent of any related damage would be difficult. Better to walk away.

I would recommend:

1. Take care of the moisture problem.
2. Tent the house to kill all termites and wood boring insects to the satisfaction of any potential buyer.
3. Take care of any apparent dry rot issues.
4. Hope for the best next time around.

 

[jay trotta]

We had buyers for our home, we were beyond inspections and moving towards closing when they backed out of the deal causing a cascading situation which royally screwed us. The home inspector noted minor mold or fungus under the home. The home is in NC, so this isn't all too uncommon. We agreed to give the buyers 2k back to help remediate the crawlspace at closing. Now that they have backed out of course we have to disclose what we know about the mold/fungus. I have had several quotes to remediate it and they have been all across the board. They backed out due to a medical issue and not the home. There are a couple of different routes we could take with this. We could A: spray mold/fungus replace damaged insulation/install a vapor barrier B: encapsulate fully the much more expensive option and treat the mold. I did some research on this forum and I didn't find much current information on how appraisers are treating this now. I was a certified appraiser 10 years ago so I understand values require market data to support and you must be careful what you say. What can you say about this? Will encapsulation be reflected in the market approach in this market area?

Is it an open or closed crawl space?

What do you know about the mold/fungus?