Re: Can I ever find a clean home?

[Guest guest]

Mold is everywhere. So, virtually every home will test positive for at least

some mold. Any test should compare levels of mold indoors with outdoors.

Indoor levels should be equal to or less than outdoors for all species,

indicating there is no indoor amplification. That answer is complicated

somewhat by the fact that not all molds are satisfactorily detected by

common tests. One might suspect to find mold problems in older houses, but

many new homes have also been in the news related to health problems.

Perhaps your best answer is to lease with option to buy. Testing for mold

will not determine whether mold levels found will bother you. Only prolonged

exposure can answer that question. Most homes can be successfully

remediated. Read Jeff May's book " My House is Killing Me " . It is full of

things most of us never think of, where you can get ideas what to look for

in buying and fixing up any property.

Good luck

Gil

----Original Message Follows----

From: " chattycat " <chattycat@...>

Reply-

<ToxicMoldSurvivors >, < >

Subject: [] Can I ever find a " clean " home?

Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2002 12:20:03 -0800

My family has been out of our mold contaminated home for 15 months. We

abandoned the house and all our possessions. We have moved our 3 young

children 5 times in an attempt to find a " safe, clean " environment. We feel

like we want to try to buy another house after being cooped up in tiny

apartments. We were supposed to close escrow next week on a house but just

got the mold testing back and sure enough, it too was positive for mold.

That makes 3 houses in a year. Are all houses contaminated to some extent?

I feel like I'm on a tight deadline because if we don't buy before our

credit is ruined from the financial devastation of all this, I fear it will

be a long, long time until we can buy. The reason I am so committed to

buying is that I don't believe we can property control our living

environment unless we own (i.e., remove carpet to control asthma, repair

water leaks immediately, etc.).

I guess I am just discouraged. I really wanted this house but at the same

time am terrified to get into another " Mold trap " . Any recommendations from

others who have been in my shoes?

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[Guest guest]

I think you need to have your "homes" inspected by a unbiased party. Granted all homes usually have "mold", you need to determine if it is worse on the indoor than outside and determine the cause of the mold. You have to eliminate the source before you can cure the home!

Just my thoughts......

mark

On Wed, 20 Feb 2002 12:20:03 -0800 "chattycat" <chattycat@...> writes:

My family has been out of our mold contaminated home for 15 months. We abandoned the house and all our possessions. We have moved our 3 young children 5 times in an attempt to find a "safe, clean" environment. We feel like we want to try to buy another house after being cooped up in tiny apartments. We were supposed to close escrow next week on a house but just got the mold testing back and sure enough, it too was positive for mold. That makes 3 houses in a year. Are all houses contaminated to some extent? I feel like I'm on a tight deadline because if we don't buy before our credit is ruined from the financial devastation of all this, I fear it will be a long, long time until we can buy. The reason I am so committed to buying is that I don't believe we can property control our living environment unless we own (i.e., remove carpet to control asthma, repair water leaks immediately, etc.).

I guess I am just discouraged. I really wanted this house but at the same time am terrified to get into another "Mold trap". Any recommendations from others who have been in my shoes?

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