Be sure to ask how long inspector has been in inspection business. Longevity gives comfort that company will be with you in future as new needs and issues arise.

How many inspections has inspector personally performed? This is important! An inspector may have been in business for 5 years but inspected less than a dozen homes. Your home buying decision is far too important to be a practice place for a part-time inspector.

Confirm that your inspector has experience in homes similar to home you are having inspected. All homes have some systems and features in common, but new home in Eagle Harbor has risks and issues that differ from an historic beauty in St. Augustine. Only someone who has walked walk and crawled crawl numerous times in similar homes can sleuth out those important items.

Molds exist naturally all around us. Molds play a vital role in decomposition of organic waste such as in a compost pile. Other molds are essential in creation of some of our finest foods, such as wine and cheese. But, when mold growth occurs in an inappropriate place or in extreme concentration, health of our home and family can be at risk.

All molds need two basic ingredients to grow, food and water. The favorite food of mold is cellulose. In our home, cellulose is a common constituent. Wood, paper, cotton, and drywall are plentiful in construction and are great sources of cellulose. Water is everywhere in our homes, both on surfaces and in air.

As tightness of our homes has increased in response to a desire to conserve energy, unintended consequence has been trapping of moisture. The increase in moisture in our homes has in some cases resulted in a relative humidity above 60% level needed to sustain mold growth in interior spaces. In some cases, moisture level of interior spaces is below mold growth threshold, but exterior wall cavities retain required moisture level for rapid mold growth within walls. To make matters worse, this condition is also perfect for accelerated wood rot and termite infestation.