How Mold Affects New Jersey Home Values

Prior mold problems can impact a home’s value. Any buyer should be concerned about a home’s mold history. It is becoming as important an issue as radon gas. In New Jersey, sellers have a "duty to disclose" material facts or defects and cannot hide information about their property. Disclosable information would certainly include mold and any significant water intrusion such as flood damage or ongoing problems with wet basements or crawl spaces and groundwater.

If you have not had a mold problem, consider dehumidification as a preventative measure, especially if your crawl space or basement suffers from high humidity. Also, make sure that your attic and bathrooms are well-ventilated and have working exhaust fans. Wet crawl spaces and soggy dirty flooring can also diminish the value of a home. Crawl space encapsulation is an important investment to preserve your home’s value.

If you had a mold problem, it is important to have documentation to show that the mold was properly treated and that the source of the mold problem was identified and fixed. A guarantee from a reputable mold remediation specialist could also help in alleviating a buyer’s concerns.