Unfortunately during difficult economic times, home foreclosures are more common. A foreclosure is a very sad event for those losing their homes, as well as a burden for the lending institutions that receive the properties back and then must sell them, often at a financial loss.

Some disgruntled homeowners strip foreclosed properties of cabinets, appliances, plumbing and electrical fixtures, copper plumbing pipes and electrical wiring, water heaters, and even furnace and air conditioning systems. Others deliberately vandalize the home when they vacate, breaking windows, busting holes in the walls, even blocking drains and while turning on all the water faucets. Flooding the property can quickly cause tens of thousands of dollars in water damage and serious mold contamination.

Any property can develop mold problems whether occupied or not; however, foreclosed properties that sit vacant are more prone to mold contamination. This is due to the fact that most of the moisture in buildings is not generated by occupants, but rather by the building itself through various means.

Indoor moisture problems can become compounded with evaporative moisture in sewer gasses that enter a building through plumbing fixture drains that dry out from not being used for three weeks or longer. Then add to that the fact that most vacant homes are not properly climatically controlled to maintain the correct temperatures and humidity levels.

The mold conditions can be subtle, occurring without the knowledge of the owner or seller until after problems have reached the point of becoming more difficult and costly to remediate. Existing mold may not be readily apparent, or perhaps someone will see visible mold and think that what they see is the extent of the problem, when in fact there may be much more mold present that they do not see as an untrained person.

When entering a vacant or foreclosed home, if malodors of any kind are detected, they indicate an indoor environmental problem that should be professionally investigated. The odors are not caused merely from properties being vacant, they are caused from metabolic gasses emitted from active biological growth within a building or unhealthy gasses from the sewer system that have accumulated to unsafe levels and may have caused secondary indoor environmental problems.

Biological odors are not always obvious to everybody. In the same room, one person might smell or react to the airborne pollutants while another may not be able to notice it. Some people just have better senses of smell. Additionally, the odors can be intermittent depending upon indoor air pressures or the amount of moisture currently in the air. There could be visible mold in a building that is not generating an odor because it is temporarily dormant, waiting for humidity to rise again. In any case, if one smells a dank or musty odor, mold is almost always present somewhere.

When selling or buying a property that has been foreclosed upon, it is always in the best interest of your client and your professional reputation to have a timely environmental inspection performed by a professional with the proper equipment and experience who can offer practical advice. This will help prevent excessive expenses later and upsetting surprises to new homebuyers, reducing both costs and liability.

If an agent demeans the conditions or suggests simply spraying bleach on visible mold or opening windows to eliminate odors, it is not in anyone's best interest and opens the door to greater liability.

When a lending institution knows that a property is going to be foreclosed upon, a mold and moisture inspection should be promptly scheduled to verify current conditions and formulate a plan to prevent serious indoor environmental problems during the vacancy period.

Simply placing a dehumidifier in a home is not a solution. Moreover, to prevent liability, if a property already has known odors or visible mold, real estate agents and potential buyers should not be allowed in until the causes have been identified and corrected.

A professional inspection will reveal the extent of possible concerns and explain practical solutions in a written report to resolve possible problems and get the home ready for market. If mold was discovered, it is best to follow up the remediation with a mold test and a clearance inspection that will document proper remediation in a written report. This document helps to increase salability and reduce seller liability.