How to sell a house in Jacksonville with mold issues
What is mold?
No one wants to discover that they have mold in their house. It’s dangerous, unsightly, and can be hard to get rid of. It can be even worse when you’re hoping to sell the house and need to either fix the problem or find someone who wants to buy it even with the mold. But what exactly is mold, and why is it so bad?
Mold is a type of fungus that loves damp spots and spreads through tiny airborne spores that you usually can’t see without a microscope. It’s pretty common in Jacksonville, FL, thanks to the high humidity and frequent rain.
Mold growth can happen on wood, paper, carpet, foods, or insulation. Moisture issues in the home are the main cause of mold, usually because there’s been flooding, hurricanes, or plumbing leaks, or there is ductwork that wasn’t insulated correctly.
Some of the most common areas where mold grows are:
- basements
- bathrooms
- air ducts
- near plumbing
- attics
- kitchens
Molds are naturally present in outdoor environments, but indoor growth should be avoided due to the health effects it can have on people who live or work in a building with mold.
Signs of mold in your house
You can usually see or smell mold in your house. It typically looks like a stain or fuzzy growth on walls, furniture, or other building materials. It can be many colors, including black, gray, green, brown, purple, orange, pink, yellow, red, or white. Depending on the type of mold, the smell can be musty, stale, earthy, damp, rotting, fermenting, sour, or tangy.
Your HVAC system may smell odd if there’s mold in it. Moisture creates a perfect environment for mold growth, so you may have mold if your floors are squishy, walls are warped due to water damage, or bathroom tile grout is dark. Attic insulation can look very lumpy if it has mold growth due to a roof leak.
If your home has experienced flooding, mold can grow even long after the damage happens. Check any areas in your house that have flooded in the past for signs of mold. Make sure to look under carpets in the previously flooded areas.
Health problems from mold in your house
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), some of the symptoms of mold in your house include:
- sneezing
- runny nose
- red eyes
- skin rashes
- dizziness
- headaches
- asthma attacks
Black mold is one of the most dangerous types of indoor mold. It can cause more serious health problems, such as flu-like symptoms, memory loss, and severe respiratory damage. All of these symptoms can be more harmful for children, senior citizens, and people with pre-existing health conditions.
How can you prevent and get rid of mold?
To prevent mold in your Jacksonville home, you can install HEPA filters in the HVAC system to catch mold spores. If there’s a water leak or spill somewhere in your house, dry out the affected areas as quickly and thoroughly as possible, preferably within 24 hours. You can use a dehumidifier or air conditioner to lower the humidity and dry things out faster. It’s also recommended that the humidity levels stay below 50% in your house to prevent mold growth. Always run the bathroom fan while showering to prevent condensation on surfaces. If you have moisture issues in your home, check often for mold in the areas affected.
The EPA has several guidelines for dealing with mold. You can scrub mold on hard surfaces with detergent and water, although some staining may be impossible to get rid of. Anything softer, like furniture fabric, will likely need to be thrown away or taken to a specialist. When you’re cleaning mold, be sure to wear protective gear like a mask or respirator, gloves, and goggles that don’t have ventilation holes. This will help prevent mold spores from being inhaled or getting into your eyes or on your skin.
Painting over mold is a common temporary “fix,” but it isn’t effective because the mold will continue to grow underneath the paint and will eventually break through and start showing again.
When to call in pros for the mold problem in your house
If the mold issue is extensive or stubborn, or if it’s a more dangerous type like black mold, you can call a Jacksonville mold removal specialist to come over and take a look at the damage. They may need to tear out drywall and carpeting to get to the mold and eliminate it. The process is regulated by the EPA, so it will be thorough and should result in a mold-free space. The amount of time it takes will depend on how severe the problem is—it could take anywhere from a few days to several weeks or even months.
The costs can really vary in Jacksonville, depending on how bad the mold problem is—it could be anywhere from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands. The cost of labor averages about $99 an hour, according to Cleanfax’s 2021 Restoration Benchmarking Survey Report.
Selling a house with mold in Jacksonville
If you sell your Jacksonville home with signs of household mold on the traditional market, there are a few things you can do to while getting the house ready to sell in order to increase your chances of selling. If you’re okay with spending some money up front, you can call a specialist to have the mold removed. If not, you can lower the selling price of the house to offset the fact that the buyer will need to deal with the mold after the sale is closed. You can also offer concessions like paying for closing costs. If you work with a real estate agent, they can guide you through this process and help you list your house with the proper disclosures and concessions that will let you sell the house more easily.
In Florida, there’s no specific law stating that you have to disclose the presence of mold in your house to potential buyers. However, the general real estate disclosure law does cover any issues with the house that could affect its value, and that includes mold. So you will still need to disclose the problem to the person who's buying the home.
Sell your house “as is” to an off-market house buyer.
When you sell your house to an off-market house buyer, they are aware that they’re buying the house in “as is” condition. They’ll be prepared to deal with many issues, including mold problems.
If you’re looking to sell your house with mold issues, get in touch with We Buy Ugly Houses® in Jacksonville. Make an appointment, and one of our local franchisees will come out to see your house and answer any questions you have. Then, we can make a fast offer for your house “as is,” sometimes the very same day!
We don’t charge commissions or hidden fees, and we pay for typical closing costs. You can even leave any unwanted items behind, and we’ll deal with them. You don’t have to worry about the mold problems in your house when you sell to We Buy Ugly Houses.
This blog is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice.
