Mold inspection before you buy
A pre-purchase mold inspection checks the home for mold and, more importantly, for the moisture problems behind it, while you can still negotiate. It's $495 for one dwelling up to 2,000 sq ft, with a written report you can hand to your agent.
Worth it for
- Homes built before the 1980s
- Raised foundations with a crawlspace
- Stains, fresh paint patches or a musty smell at the showing
- Any disclosed leak, flood or past mold repair
- Hillside lots and homes with flat roofs
How it fits into escrow
Book early
Schedule inside your inspection contingency period, ideally in the first week.
We inspect
Accessible areas, moisture readings, photos. A crawlspace or attic can be added for $250 each.
Written report
A plain-language summary first, then readings, a moisture map and located photos.
You decide
Get repair quotes, ask the seller to fix it, renegotiate or walk away, with facts in hand.
What to ask the seller
- Has there ever been a leak, flood or plumbing failure? Where, and who fixed it?
- Has any mold been found or removed? Is there a report or invoice?
- Has the roof been repaired or replaced, and when?
- Were any walls, ceilings or floors recently painted or replaced, and why?
Read the seller's disclosures for any mention of water or mold, and bring those pages to the inspection.
Why independent matters in a sale
In a negotiation, a report from a company that also sells remediation invites the question of whether the problem was sized to sell the fix. We only test, so the findings stand on their own for you, your agent and the seller.
See a sample reportHome buyer FAQs
Isn’t mold covered by the general home inspection?
Not in depth. A home inspector may note visible moisture damage, but a mold inspection takes moisture readings throughout the home and focuses on where water is getting in, which is what decides the cost of fixing it.
When should I schedule it?
As early as possible inside your inspection contingency period, so you have time to get repair quotes or negotiate. Check your purchase contract for the exact deadline.
Do I need lab samples?
Usually not. If mold is visible, the EPA says sampling generally isn’t needed to decide on cleanup. Samples are $125 each and only worth it if a result would change your decision. When samples help
Will the seller see the report?
The report is yours. You decide whether to share it with your agent or the seller, for example to support a repair request.
What if you find mold?
The report says where it is, how far it extends and what is feeding it, so you can get comparable remediation quotes and decide whether to negotiate, ask for repairs or walk away. We don’t do remediation, so we have no interest in the size of the problem.
Book your pre-purchase mold inspection.
$495 up to 2,000 sq ft. Scope and price confirmed before you book.