What Should You Check for Mold and Humidity Before Buying a Home in Bonita Springs?

Look for signs that moisture has been getting in or staying in: stains, a musty smell, soft drywall, peeling paint and condensation. Ask how the home was kept while it sat empty, whether it has ever had a leak, a flood or mold work, and whether that work was documented. If anything points to a moisture problem, hire a licensed mold assessor during your inspection period, before you commit to the purchase.

I am Kris Asquith, Broker Associate at Premiere Plus Realty, and I help buyers and sellers across Bonita Springs and eight other Southwest Florida markets. Bonita Springs has bay-front homes, homes along the Imperial River and established golf and club communities, and every one of them lives with the same Gulf Coast humidity. Mold is rarely a dealbreaker on its own. The cause behind it is what you are really buying.

Because the air outside is warm and wet for most of the year, and mold needs only moisture, warmth and something to grow on, such as drywall paper, wood or the dust inside ductwork. In a Florida home the air conditioning does two jobs: it cools the air and it pulls water out of it. When the system is the wrong size, short-cycles, or is switched off for a long stretch, the house holds on to that moisture.

Homes that sit closed for months are the ones to look at hardest. A thermostat set too high to save power, or turned off entirely, can let humidity build in closets, cabinets and behind furniture against outside walls. Ask the seller what the thermostat and any dehumidifier were set to while the home was empty, and whether anyone checked on it. My article on what to check about the air conditioning in a Bonita Springs home covers the system itself.

Use your nose first. A musty or earthy smell when the front door opens, or inside closets and vanity cabinets, is worth noting even when nothing shows. Then look in the places water collects:

• Ceilings under bathrooms, under the air handler and below any flat roof section, for rings or patched spots.
• Under sinks and around toilets, tubs and showers, for swollen cabinet bottoms, soft floors and dark grout or caulk.
• Around windows and sliding doors, for staining, peeling paint or warped trim.
• The air handler closet and the supply vents, for rust, standing water in the drain pan or dark spotting around the vents.
• Baseboards and the bottom of drywall, for swelling or a fresh band of paint that stops at the same height all the way around a room.

That last one matters in a Bonita Springs home. A neat line of new drywall or paint at the same height in every room can mean the home took on water, and it is a reason to ask questions, not a conclusion. My article on how to find out whether a Bonita Springs home has flooded explains where to look for the record.

Not in the way most buyers assume. A standard home inspection is visual. A good inspector will note visible growth, staining, moisture damage and conditions that invite mold, and many carry a moisture meter or a thermal camera. But they generally do not take samples, open walls or tell you what kind of mold is present or how far it goes.

That is the job of a mold assessor. Florida licenses mold assessors and mold remediators separately, and the law generally keeps the company that assesses a home from also being paid to remediate it, so the person telling you there is a problem is not the person selling you the fix. If your inspector flags moisture or growth, ask them whether an assessment makes sense, and book it inside your inspection period. My article on what to check about the plumbing in a Bonita Springs home covers the leaks that are most often behind it.

Ask direct questions and ask for the paperwork:

• Has the home ever had a roof leak, a plumbing leak, an air conditioning leak or flood water inside?
• Has there ever been mold found or mold work done, and by whom?
• Was there a clearance report after the work, showing the problem was resolved?
• Was any insurance claim filed for water or mold?
• How was the home kept while nobody was living in it?

Florida law generally requires a seller to disclose known defects that materially affect a home's value and that a buyer could not readily see, and past water intrusion often falls in that category. A seller who had a leak repaired properly, with an assessment before and a clearance report after, is in a far better position than one who painted over a stain. If the work involved drywall, roofing or plumbing, the permit history for the home should show it, since the City of Bonita Springs handles building permits inside the city.

It can affect both the coverage and the quote. Many Florida homeowners policies limit what they will pay for mold, and some cover it only when it follows a sudden covered water event, such as a burst pipe, rather than a slow leak or humidity. Read the mold and water sections of any policy you are quoted, and ask your insurance agent directly what is covered.

Underwriters also look at the condition of the roof, the plumbing and the air conditioning, because those are where water damage starts. A home with an older roof or past water claims may be harder or more expensive to insure. My article on what to find out about the roof in Bonita Springs explains what an insurer will want to see.

Find the source before you talk about the cost. Mold that comes from a bathroom fan venting into the attic, a slow drip under a sink or a clogged air conditioning drain line is usually a contained repair once the cause is fixed. Mold that comes from repeated roof leaks or flood water inside the walls is a larger question, and it is worth a written scope and estimate from a licensed remediator and the right contractor before you decide. Then decide whether to ask the seller for a repair, a credit or a change in terms, and whether the home still fits.

After closing, keep the air conditioning running and the humidity under control even when you are away, have the drain line serviced, and look under the sinks and around the air handler a few times a year. If you are selling, fix any active leak before you list and gather the invoices, the assessment and the clearance report so a buyer's inspector sees documentation instead of a question. My step-by-step home buying process shows where the inspection period falls, and my page on buying a home in Bonita Springs covers the wider picture. I am glad to go through a specific home with you. Get in touch or call (239) 300-1427.

This article is a general overview and is not legal, insurance, health or construction advice about any particular property. Confirm the specifics with your home inspector, a licensed mold assessor, your insurance agent and a real estate attorney.