Mold or Mildew Issues

[Denise Munoz]

I just visited a potential rehab property that I am interested in pursuing as a live-in flip. The house appears to be in decent shape except for one condition, there is a ton of mold or mildew on the ceilings by the air vent grille. Would you expect the mold to spread to other areas of the house?

I intend to take the proper steps to have a professional find the source of the mold, test it, and have the mold remediated. I was wondering if anyone would have experience with similar moldy conditions that may have some insight into the potential costs to take care of the mold concerns and whether it is worth pursuing the property given its current condition.

[JD Martin]

Most of the time mold is simply: remove the soft materials, wipe down studs with some bleach, and replace. Assuming you've eliminated the source of water. It might be that the moisture is coming from ductwork that's not insulated, since it is in an attic. You get cold air running through the return, the hot air in the attic (especially in Valdosta, I know it well) condenses and runs down into the insulation and sheetrock. This is probably not a big deal judging from the pictures. If it's not from the ductwork it is likely a roof leak, but being that it is concentrated around the return that would be what I would look at first.