We all have professions. We know certain subjects well, and experience teaches us plenty. Realtors bring valuable knowledge about homes, our market, negotiations, and helping people through major decisions. I respect that expertise.
I ask that other professionals’ expertise receive the same respect.
That brings me to mold.
You may have dealt with mold in your own home or helped clients through several remediation projects. That experience is useful. But familiarity with a problem is different from having the training to assess its extent, determine the work required, and protect those involved.
When a Realtor says, “It is just a little mold,” without a qualified assessment, that opinion can become the reassurance a buyer or seller relies on.
A closing date does not change what is happening behind a wall, beneath a floor, or in a crawl space.
At SteamMaster, we have received more calls than I can count that begin with some version of: “We have a closing in two weeks. We need this inspected immediately.” Sometimes, it is: “We close next week.”
We understand the urgency. We try to help. But a week or two leaves little time to investigate, complete the necessary work, and verify the results. When the same situation keeps repeating, we have to ask: What are we learning?
Sometimes a problem genuinely surfaces late. Nobody can anticipate everything. My concern is with warning signs that were noticed earlier, brushed aside, or treated as something to address only if a buyer raised questions.
Mold work involves more than making a surface look clean. Depending on the conditions, it can require moisture investigation, containment, protective equipment, removal of affected materials, careful cleaning, and verification that the work achieved its intended purpose. EPA guidance emphasizes planning and protecting both occupants and remediation workers. Those responsibilities cannot be shortened simply because a transaction is running out of time. www.epa.gov
The people living there now matter. The employees doing the work matter. The family moving in next matters.
Professional judgment includes knowing when to bring in help
The National Association of REALTORS® Code of Ethics provides a useful foundation for this conversation. Article 1 requires honesty toward all parties, even while protecting a client’s interests. Article 2 addresses exaggeration, misrepresentation, and concealment of pertinent property facts. www.nar.realtor
Just as importantly, Article 2 and Standard of Practice 2-1 recognize that Realtors are not expected to discover hidden defects or possess expertise in other technical professions. That distinction supports bringing in qualified help rather than offering unsupported reassurance. Standard of Practice 1-9 also makes clear that information about latent material defects is not confidential under the Code. www.nar.realtor
Knowing when to call someone with the appropriate expertise is part of good professional judgment.
What does being proactive actually look like?
Being proactive means addressing warning signs while you still have time to investigate, make informed decisions, and complete the necessary work. Here are six checks and balances that can help.
- Ask early. At the listing stage, ask about past leaks, water damage, musty odors, recurring moisture, and previous mold work. Request available reports, photographs, repair records, and remediation documentation.
- Follow up on warning signs. Recommend a qualified assessment when concerns arise, preferably before listing or early enough in the transaction to allow informed decisions. A quick look through a crawl-space opening may leave important questions unanswered.
- Verify the people you hire. Choose a qualified local professional with relevant mold training, recognized credentials, appropriate insurance, and documented experience. Ask who will actually perform the work. Being available tomorrow does not make someone qualified, and a certificate alone does not replace competence.
- Require a written plan. Establish what is known, what remains uncertain, how the moisture source will be corrected, what remediation is proposed, and how occupants and workers will be protected. Agree on completion criteria and whether independent assessment or verification is appropriate.
- Build in time and accountability. Assign responsibility for repairs, remediation, documentation, and follow-up. Allow time for additional findings. If proper completion requires more time, address the closing schedule rather than pressure someone to cut corners.
- Tell the story as it is. Communicate findings accurately and handle disclosures through the appropriate brokerage and legal channels. Share the documentation and its limitations. “The visible area was cleaned” should never become “the home has no mold.”
Hire a qualified local company. We have good people in our community who know what they are doing. What matters is that the people doing the work have the right training, understand the proper procedures, and can document what they did.
I am not suggesting that every Realtor downplays mold. Many agents handle these situations responsibly, and I appreciate working with them. I am asking those who recognize this pattern to put checks and balances in place, learn from previous experiences, and speak without fear or favor when the facts are inconvenient.
Transparency is key. People deserve to know what is known, what’s been addressed, and what still needs attention.
A sale falling through hurts. But avoiding that immediate disappointment should not outweigh an honest assessment. An unresolved problem can follow everyone long after the closing papers are signed.
Wouldn’t we all rather arrive at closing with the questions answered and the work documented than scramble at the eleventh hour?
I am sorry if this sounds pointed. I value my relationships with our Realtor community, and I know these conversations can be uncomfortable. But if I see this pattern and do not ask the question, who will?
Raj Manickam
