Guaranteed Property and Mold Inspections, Inc. Home Inspector

Home Inspection, mold and environmental inspections. energy conservation audits.

Guaranteed Property and Mold Inspections, Inc.

2372 Morse Ave. Suite 257 Irvine, CA 92614

Office: (949) 239-3727

ASHI Home Inspector Client Bill of Rights

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American Society of Home Inspectors® (ASHI®) Client Bill of Rights

As a profession, home inspectors have an ethical obligation to the public. This obligation includes integrity, competency, honesty, confidentiality, objectivity and an interest in public safety. Fulfilling this obligation will promote and preserve public confidence in the profession. In recognition of this obligation, we hereby promote and proclaim these rights for our clients.

I.  To be assured the inspector is objective in his or her reporting and will not knowingly understate or overstate the significance of reported conditions.

II. To be assured the inspector’s opinion is based on genuine conviction within the scope of his or her education and experience.

III. To be assured the inspector stays current with the industry’s body of knowledge through continuing education.

IV. To be assured the inspector will not disclose inspection results or client information without client approval.

V. To be assured the inspector has not accepted any form of compensation for recommending contractors, services or products.

VI. To be assured the inspector will not offer to repair or replace for compensation any component covered by the ASHI Standards of Practice for one year after the inspection.

VII. To be assured future referrals to the inspector from real estate agents are not dependent on the inspection findings or the sale of the property.

VIII. To be assured the home inspector has no financial interest in the transaction.

IX. To be assured the inspector is not receiving compensation for the inspection from any other party.

X. To be assured the inspector did not compensate the real estate agent or other party for the referral to the client.

Escalation Clause and Home Inspections

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An Escalation clause that includes skipping the home inspection?

A BAD IDEA.

Unless you are a professional engineer or architect, what do you know about houses? Is the electricity up to code? Does the HVAC system work? Are the joists that seem to be holding up the basement ceiling adequate? You are investing in what may be the biggest purchase of your life; don’t take a chance that something — possibly something major — could go wrong soon after you take title. If a seller is not willing to let you have 10 to 17 days after signing the sales contract to have a professional inspector carefully go over every detail in the property, my advice is to look elsewhere.

What about the escalation clause? In most parts of the country, the potential buyer makes an offer, and the seller has three options: accept, reject or counter. You put in an offer of $450,000. The seller gets another offer with similar terms but a price of $452,000. Sorry, you lose.

How do you try to protect yourself? You include in the offer a statement that you will pay $1,000 more than the highest offer, subject however to a cap of $456,000.

But be sure to include important provisions in your escalation clause. You want proof that there is a real, higher-priced offer against which you’re competing. You should review a copy of the other offer; the buyer’s name and other personal information can be removed.

Do Not Use Bleach to Clean Mold!

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  1. When you combine bleach with certain mycotoxins and VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds), it will create neurotoxins. 

    Chlorine bleach has been classified as a hazardous chemical. It contains 5.25% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and water.  It is way too dangerous for common use in homes yet you see all of the “Fluffy” commercials about a certain “brand” of bleach that Moms should wash all their laundry with. This is probably the worst case of dangerous marketing our society has ever seen.

    OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) is a federal agency that gives strong warnings against recommending the use of liquid Bleach for mold remediation or even cleaning any kind of mold/mildew and most recently, The EPA has since edited their “A brief guide to mold and moisture and your home” so that it now excludes their previously stated use of bleach as a remedy to kill mold.  If these ruling agencies are making strong statements and retracting from previous advice given that tells us that they have used government money to fund some pretty extensive laboratory studies.  Let these studies be a warning to us all.  NOT to use bleach around toxic mold.

  2. It does not kill toxic mold but actually “grows mold” at a more rapid rate after application
    Chlorine Bleach is designed to “rinse” or “wash away” bacterias, viruses and fungi on “non-porous” surfaces. (glass, metal, porcelain) Chlorine Bleach is “NOT” designed to “soak into”.  Mold spores are like trees in that they spread their roots deep into porous surfaces or porous items.  (wood, wallboard, carpet, fabric, paper, bedding etc…)

    Bleach is made of 99% water.  The chlorine stays on the surface and the rest of the 99% of the water goes into the porous holes and “waters” the toxic mold.  THIS is what “fuels” the mold to return.  The toxic mold will grow at a much faster rate now that you have essentially “fed” it.  Remember, molds love moisture.

    The surface may look very clean because you’ve “bleached” it and not killed the spores.  The water then gets into the roots via the porous material and the roots grow deeper, stronger and will return worse than ever before.

  3. Instead To kill mold: Use white distilled vinegar and pour it into a spray bottle without watering it down. Spray the vinegar onto the moldy surface and leave it to sit for an hour. Finally, wipe the area clean with water and allow the surface to dry. Straight vinegar kills about 82% of mold spores and also prevents future mold from growing.

ACAC

Facts About Mold

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Government agencies, mainstream medical organizations, teaching hospitals, allopathic physicians, insurance companies, defense attorneys, bought-and-paid-for defense witnesses and other naysayers will tell you that mold isn’t harmful or that it effects only immune-compromised individuals.

 
However, the research is clear. Mold and indoor contaminants can cause serious health problems.
 
There are thousands of research papers regarding the health effects of indoor mold contaminants. It’s important to remember that the naysayers ignore these scientific papers in their strategy of misinformation and denial.

Aspergillosis Mold Infection

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Aspergillosis is an infection caused by Aspergillus, a common mold (a type of fungus) that lives indoors and outdoors.

Most people breathe in Aspergillus spores every day without getting sick. However, people with weakened immune systems or lung diseases are at a higher risk of developing health problems due to Aspergillus.

The types of health problems caused by Aspergillus include allergic reactions, lung infections, and infections in other organs.

Cladosporium A Common Mold Genus

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Photomicrograph of Cladosporium

Cladosporium is a mold that is common in the environment.

Cladosporium is common in the air and on surfaces such as wallpaper or carpet, particularly where moisture is present.

Cladosporium is a very rare cause of human illness, but it has been known to cause several different types of infections, including skin, eye, sinus, and brain infections.

Cladosporium has also been associated with allergies and asthma.

 

Mold Information

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Molds, or mould, are various fungi that cover surfaces as fluffy mycelia and usually produce masses of asexual, or sometimes sexual, spores.

Mold is a growth of minute fungi forming on vegetable or animal matter, commonly as a downy or furry coating and associated with decay or dampness.

There are thousands of known varieties of molds.

By decomposing organic matter, molds play a big part in material biodegradation, enabling decay and rot necessary in all ecosystems.

The enzymes and mycotoxins can also inhibit the growth of other molds and microorganisms.

Some mycotoxins are considered to be harmful to health.

HIGH ERMI SCORES IN HOMES OF ASTHMATIC CHILDREN

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2008.01.031
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Dust from the homes of 143 children was analyzed by mold specific quantitative PCR (MSQPCR) and the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMIsm) was calculated for each home.

The mean ERMI for each group of homes was 6.2 for non-asthmatic, 6.3 for moderately asthmatic and 8.2 for severely asthmatic children. The ERMI values in the homes of severely asthmatic children were significantly greater compared to the non-asthmatics. Aspergillus nigerand Aspergillus unguis were the primary mold species that distinguished severely asthmatic children’s homes and non-asthmatic children’s homes

. The determination of the home’s ERMI values may aid in prioritizing home remediation efforts, particularly in those children who are at increased risk for asthma exacerbation.

HIGH ERMI AS AN ASTHMA PREDICTOR

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Background

Mold exposures may contribute to the development of asthma, but previous studies have lacked a standardized approach to quantifying exposures.

Objective

To determine whether mold exposures at the ages of 1 and/or 7 years were associated with asthma at the age of 7 years.

Methods

This study followed up a high-risk birth cohort from infancy to 7 years of age. Mold was assessed by a DNA-based analysis for the 36 molds that make up the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI) at the ages of 1 and 7 years. At the age of 7 years, children were evaluated for allergic sensitization and asthma based on symptom history, spirometry, exhaled nitric oxide, and airway reversibility. A questionnaire was administered to the parent regarding the child’s asthma symptoms and other potential cofactors.

Results

At the age of 7 years, 31 of 176 children (18%) were found to be asthmatic. Children living in a high ERMI value (≥5.2) home at 1 year of age had more than twice the risk of developing asthma than those in low ERMI value homes (<5.2) (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10-6.26). Of the other covariates, only parental asthma (aOR, 4.0; 95% CI, 1.69-9.62) and allergic sensitization to house dust mite (aOR, 4.1; 95% CI, 1.55-11.07) were risk factors for asthma development. In contrast, air-conditioning at home reduced the risk of asthma development (aOR, 0.3; 95% CI, 0.14-0.83). A high ERMI value at 7 years of age was not associated with asthma at 7 years of age.

Conclusions

Early exposure to molds as measured by ERMI at 1 year of age, but not 7 years of age, significantly increased the risk for asthma at 7 years of age.

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