From the desk of Jenn: Home Inspections- Post Flood

The future of home inspections after the Great Flood of 2016 in Louisiana will be forever changed. Future sales will need to consider hiring a home inspector that will thoroughly inspect the home. Sellers and buyers should educate themselves with the importance of properly caring for their home and the future implications that can occur if crucial steps are not done correctly.

So what exactly should sellers be doing?

Sellers are required to disclose past and present defects of the home. Sellers need to disclose to future buyers several factors post flood. A few of those will be- if the home flooded, how much water came through, if the home dried properly, the moisture readings before obtaining a permit, methods of removing mold, their permit from city or parish, and how the remodeling done. Sellers should be keeping records of the entire process from beginning to end.

What will future buyers need to do during future home buying process?

First and most importantly home buying step is hiring a licensed inspector that also carries a mold inspection certification. Th Home Inspector will be able to inspect home and determine any defects that are visual and some that are hidden. A mold test should be done but once a home has been remodeled, the only accurate method is an infrared camera. The infrared camera can test temperature patterns that point to potential hidden moisture behind the walls. During this inspection period buyers should be requesting all necessary documents from day one of post flood to completion of remodeling home.

A home having mold should not be ignored as breathing in mold causes many health problems especially in those with allergies, small children and the elderly. A home with mold should not be taken lightly and all precautions need to be exercised for many years to come.

Many homes flooded in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. There was an in depth study done afterwards that provided great insights that current homeowners affected by the current flood should use to educate themselves in regards to mold. Read studies for a better understanding.

Jake Morgan with Redline Inspections has proven his ability to carry out a thorough inspection of homes and has meet all criteria for obtaining his mold inpection and infrared camera certifications. Jake Morgan offers a full inspection of the visible components of the home/office to find moisture intrusion or mold growth. Using the latest sampling equipment such as humidity & temperature meters, moisture meters, FLIR thermal imaging camera, and air sampling pumps & equipment to find hidden mold. He will then take his findings and send them to a professional mold laboratory where they will examine the samples to confirm or disprove mold growth. These techniques are proven very effective and come with a copy of certified lab results.