Possible Mold During Inspection Period

[Mark Koontz]

Hello all, 

I am new to real estate investing and have been educating myself for the past year or so and decided to finally pull the trigger. After looking for a bit, I found a Duplex that will cashflow pretty well. I put in an offer on the house and it was accepted. I am now in the inspection period. 

An inspector went through the house and everything looked good (for being a fixer-upper). The only thing that is alarming is a wet spot beside a window. I sent a picture to a friend who used to work with mold remediation and he said it was consistent with mold. I have looked at getting a mold inspection and they are a little pricey. I am not concerned with replacing the affected areas myself(as long as it is not super extensive). I realize anyone reading this does not know the entire situation, but I am looking for a second opinion - if you were in my shoes, where would you go from here? 

Thanks in advance! 

[Account Closed]

The price tag is steep, but if you are already willing to do the rebuild spring to have the water damage affected areas removed , treated and dried out by a remediation specialist. 

Skip the testing, you already know there is water damage which is always a potential for mold growth. As soon as you attach a label to it, you are opening yourself up to acknowledging its presence. Until someone certified confirms it as mold, refer to it as water damage. 

Fix the water intrusion and have the area treated properly. The longer it grows due to improper treatment the more expensive it gets.