Water in the basement... and I don't know what to do!

[Scott Foster]

So this is my first flip, and I just when I thought all was going smoothly and we went into contract for asking price with buyers, this happened....

The buyer's had a home inspection, and the inspector tore us apart.  Approximately 1/4 of the inspector's complaints/bashing the work was incorrect, and I learned the hard way that I should have had my GC there to walk through with him or speak with him before the final inspection report was sent to the respective home buyers (lesson learned).  

However, to the inspectors credit, he did indeed find a small amount of mold and water in the basement,  and some water weeping through two of the basement walls (very, very, very small amount of water/dampness along the corner and middle of two walls after a hard rain), and there was stagnant water located in the bottom of the pit of the sump pump. 

There seems to be two issues at hand here:

1. Dampness/waterproofing

2. Mold

I got a quote from a legit/reputable mold company, $2,700 to eradicate the mold in the whole house (even though it's only in the corner, he reports that because the inspector located it in one little corner in an area of approximately 3 sq ft, he now has to perform an AQT and clean the entire unfinished basement and have all vents scrubbed and sprayed with antimicrobial solution). The mold contractor recommends taking care of the moisture/dampness issue first, OR just get a dehumidifier that drains into the sump pump because it is very normal for new jersey basements to have moisture in the basement.

For waterproofing: from speaking to different contractors, I was told my options are to install a french drain (best quote was $4,800) or another option was to escavate the exterior of the foundation to waterproof it from the outside, and re-grade the gravel on the exterior of the foundation (VERY expensive >$10k), or the third option is to just do the dehumidifier and drain it into the sump pump as the mold contractor suggested.

The buyers still want the house, but I don't want to spend a ton just to finish this out. 

My question is....

Is there a way around getting the AQT and just clean out that small area of mold? It is not anywhere else in the home. We did a full gut, and the entire home is completely rehabbed and pretty much brand new, including a full vent clean out....

Are there any other suggestions for dealing with the small amount of dampness/waterproofing?

Any suggestions for dealing with this incorrect inspection?

Thanks so much to anyone who can give some tips, wisdom, creative thoughts!!!

-Scott