Apparently a mold issue. What does this mean?

[DAVID SCHREIBER]

Looking at a foreclosure.   One of the upstairs bedrooms had this sticker on the wall.

In the basement and the garage it appears that they sprayed white paint of some sort on all the surfaces.  Either to improve the appearance or to treat mold.

Any idea how we should evaluate this variable?  Have it tested?  Run away?  Poke a hole in the wall and see what we find?  Fix the presumably leaky roof and don't worry about it?

Thanks

[Marcus Auerbach]

Hard to tell from the information you provide. I would say educate yourself (or find an agent who can). The EPA has a guide to mold, that is actually a fairly good intorduction to the topic, thats a good starting point. Mold is literally everywhere, you are breathing it right now) and there are thousands of types; people have that stereotypical reaction to the M-word, because they don't know anything about it, but remember they have seen that family on TV that almost died. Mold needs moisture, the right temperature and food to grow. Moisture is usually the easiest thing to take away. Existing mold that is isolated (that's the key word here) can easily be killed with chemicals (don't use bleach, get a specialized mold killer, sold everywhere) or ozone. (I actually bought a commercial grade ozone generator to deal with mold - and all sorts of odors!) But mold will come back if you don't get your humidity under control. If the house has gone to far and it's everywhere, you have to remove all drywall and insulation, before you can even start killing it. If the house feels dry, it might be worth to investigfate further, if it feel's very damp and has been sitting for a long time chances are you are looking at a serious issue.