Purchasing a house with Attic Mold

Investor · Pullman, WA · Member since 2014 · 33 posts · 6 votes

Hey there, I'm a somewhat new investor looking to pickup my second buy and hold property. I've just gone under contract on a duplex that fits my criteria and is in generally good shape. I spoke with my inspector who told me the attic appears to have black mold in it. It also appears the roof has no ventilation. The roof also appears to be at the end of its lifespan.

Any recommendations on negotiating from here? Idealy the roof needs to be replaced, ventilation added and mold re-mediated. I'm fairly DIY but won't do a roof. Any cost estimates? I just had a smaller roof done on a similar property for $8K so I'm guessing $10-12K for this one.

I'm not out any money if I walk away so that is a thought as well. I'd hope to use this as something that could benefit me in the end. TIA

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Brian Mcmenamin

Rental Property Investor · San Diego, CA · Member since 2018 · 176 posts · 83 votes

@Alex Gordon I'd get a mold remediation expert in there and get a quote. Mold does not get better with time. Usually they will have to cut out all the mold contaminated area, locate and seal the leak is. more than likely a roof replacement will have to happen. I'd say at least $12K probably closer to $15K. Good Luck

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Brian Mcmenamin
Rental Property Investor · San Diego, CA · Member since 2018 · 176 posts · 83 votes
7y
@Alex Gordon I'd get a mold remediation expert in there and get a quote. Mold does not get better with time. Usually they will have to cut out all the mold contaminated area, locate and seal the leak is. more than likely a roof replacement will have to happen. I'd say at least $12K probably closer to $15K. Good Luck
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Alex Gordon
OP
Investor · Pullman, WA · Member since 2014 · 33 posts · 6 votes
7y
Thanks @Brian Mcmenamin
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Jiri B.
Rental Property Investor · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2017 · 157 posts · 169 votes
7y
@Alex Gordon This might actually be good thing for you. Mold is a material fact that needs to be disclosed by the realtor so if you told the seller there is mold, they will have to tell every potential buyer about that mold. That might scare both the seller as the potential buyers.
I purchase properties with mold before and if handled well, it's not a big issue. The #1 is to stop the source of the mold, which in your case is the old leaking roof and the ventilation. So doing new roof as you mentioned should take care of that. The price you mentioned sounds about ok but it really just depends on the size of the roof, the style and slope.
Once you get that taken care of, then you just need to get rid of the actual mold. Since most attics are isolated, there is a good change the isolation will also contains mold. I would get a quote from an expert on the mold remediation. It might be as simple as running an ozone machine in the attic or it could be as bad as replacing all contaminated materials (isolations, etc). That can get costly. I would just get a quote fo that and just go back to the seller and ask for a price reduction. You can really ask for the cost of the roof as that is probably that was already accounted for in the current price.
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Steve K.
Realtor · Boulder, CO · Member since 2016 · 3k+ posts · 5k+ votes
7y
@Alex Gordon not having adequate soffit vents and ridge vents will cause attic mold almost guaranteed whether the roof is leaking or not. Adding these vents in correct quantity and spacing as per current code requirement should solve the problem, so I wouldn’t be overly concerned about it. Consulting a mold remediation expert isn’t a bad idea but they may recommend expensive remediation that may not be necessary (but may also help you negotiate a lower price). I’d take a peak up there myself or look at the inspectors photos at least to see just how bad the mold situation is and talk to a few roofers and get some quotes on a new roof plus soffit and ridge vents. If the mold is really bad in there you may need to pull any affected insulation out, possibly replace some of the decking, maybe the trusses are even rotting, it’s hard to say without seeing it myself but the root cause is likely lack of ventilation. It wouldn’t be a deal breaker for me unless the mold situation was really bad as in spread throughout the insulation, the plywood and the trusses. If it’s just a small amount of mold I wouldn’t be worried. You might consider asking for a discount equal to the price of a new roof including soffit and ridge vents, depending on how negotiations are going outside of this issue and whether you think the seller will agree to that or not based on all the other details of the deal of course.
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Alex Gordon
OP
Investor · Pullman, WA · Member since 2014 · 33 posts · 6 votes
7y
Here's some pictures. I'm not really sure what I'm looking at.
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Steve K.
Realtor · Boulder, CO · Member since 2016 · 3k+ posts · 5k+ votes
7y
Well you've got rafters, not trusses, and there isn't any visible mold from these photos. The decking looks a bit aged, you'll probably want to replace that with the roof. Doesn't look bad at all. I'd get a quote to replace roof and decking, plus soffit vents and ridge vents, and go from there.
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Michael Noto
Real Estate Agent · Southington, CT · Member since 2008 · 5k+ posts · 3k+ votes
7y
@Alex Gordon In this situation the reality is that the seller will most likely not be willing to replace the entire roof and remediate the mold. Who knows they may, but that shouldn't matter to you.
Ask yourself, is there any scenario you would buy this home with the attic and/or roof in the condition it is in currently? If not, then just ask them to do both and the outcome is what it is. If you are ok with a scenario that involves you inheriting these issues, just negotiate based on that.
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Brian Ellis
Rental Property Investor · South shore, MA · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
7y
The plywood sheathing definitely has mold on it. All that white and black fuzz is mold from moisture. I would get an estimate on replacing the plywood sheathing as well. If you have a roofing company come in and do everything it might be more cost effective then bringing in a mold specialist to sand all that down.
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Joe SplitrockPro Member
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Rental Property Investor · Sioux Falls, SD · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 18k+ votes
7y
@Alex Gordon the roof needs vents and the soffits need venting. That creates air flow which will prevent future mold and prolong the life of the new roof. It is hard to tell in the photos what is mold (if anything). Simple mold remediation is spraying the surface with bleach and then paint it with odor blocking primer after it dries. Another thing to look for is bathroom venting into the attic.
This is really manageable and quite common. Properties built 100 years ago often had no venting in their roofs.
As far as cost, most roofers can give you a fast estimate based on size. Some even do it off satellite images so don't even need to visit the property. Mold is based on extent.
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Rhonda Wilson
Rental Property Investor · Tacoma, WA · Member since 2018 · 113 posts · 149 votes
7y
As others have said, mold like that is common in older structures. It happens because you get condensation on the sheathing especially when the roof is cold. More soffits to improve ventilation and thus decrease possible build-up of humidity in the attic is generally recommended. The attic and living areas are completely separate environments, therefore, mold in the attic does not present a health risk to your tenants as far as I know.
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Alex Gordon
OP
Investor · Pullman, WA · Member since 2014 · 33 posts · 6 votes
7y
Thanks for the help - As an update, the sellers have already remediated the mold and installed vents before I was able to ask for concessions. We're negotiating roof and electrical now so we'll see how that goes.
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