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Updated about 5 years ago, 09/03/2019
water in basement of possible first deal in western ME
Hello fellow BP members,
My husband and I are interested in a duplex in a small town in Oxford County, ME. It is in a nice part of town on a dead end street and the units looked like they were recently renovated (new windows, carpets). The only issue is that when we viewed it there was water in the basement. There was a sump pump in the basement that was not working and the owner had a dehumidifier running and draining into the sump pump hole. Our first concern is for mold. Is there an accurate way to test for mold before closing on the property (if we were to make an offer)? I know that the DIY test kits have to sit in a spot over a few days and my husband fears that the owner might move the tests to prevent mold from showing up. If we were to hire a professional would their tests not have to go through this process and thus not be able to be tampered with? Also, how much might a professional mold inspection/test cost? Our second concern is how difficult and expensive it would be to stop the water from pooling in the basement. The realtor thought that the basement might be too low for the ground table and the water was seeping in from outside. He thought the basement floor might need to be sealed or raised. A friend who lives in the area believed the issue could be solved with a new working sump pump (He also asserted that there probably was not mold since this area of ME stays cool and dry most of the year). Is there a way before purchasing the property to determine how bad the problem is and how costly it would be to fix it?
Thanks,
Janice