Two things should always pop into your mind before stepping foot into your new home- MOLD and RADON.
Before you start visualizing where your furniture will go and whose room will be whose you need to get in touch with a well reputed Home inspector, who not only conducts Mold testing but also Radon testing as well.
MOLD TESTING
This is a multi-tiered issue that needs to be looked at from every angle. When hiring your home inspector, however amazing he or she may be, they have limited knowledge and equipment to look into the deeper side of issue. To no fault of their own it is just unrealistic for them to conduct an entire home inspection from the inside out in a few hours and cover every single issue. However, they can still be used to find the larger issues, and if they do find evidence of mold issues, leaks or water intrusion (which mold most often needs to grow or dampness) then the next logical step would be to consider bringing in the heavy artillery and hire a mold inspector.
A reputable mold inspection company/remediation company will come to the home with a thermal camera which can see through the walls and detect where the moisture is through a heat signature. They will also bring with them a humidity reader to take readings in all the rooms. Lastly they will come with an air particulate reader and capture the mold that is present in the air at that time.
If there is a mold issue it is imperative you trace it back to the water intrusion source and determine that it isn't too deep of an issue. This has to happen before not only a price is agreed upon between seller and buyer, but also upon determining that the home is "SAVE-ABLE", as sometimes the damage has reached the air ducts, and hvac units.....which basically means that it has disbursed all over the house. At that point you must re-evaluate if its worth the risk of purchasing the home.
RADON TESTING
Radon is a radio active gas which is formed from the breakdown of Uranium which is found in soil, water and Rock. Radon is found in all sorts of homes all across the United States. Most of the time Radon seeps up through the cracks and or any holes found in the foundation of the home. Radon is classified as a Carcinogen. In fact it is the second leading cause of lung cancer according to the epa. The crappy part is it is odorless, tasteless and an invisible gas. There is basically no way to detect it without performing testing.
Most of the time your home inspector will conduct this test for you, or at least as you if you'd like the option to. Definitely take him up on it! They will leave a radon reader machine running overnight in the lowest floor of the home. If the radon level measures 4 picocuries per liter or higher mitigation will be required.
Mitigation can include putting a aggregate like gravel up to 4 inches thick under the home, installing proper ventilation systems throughout the lower level of the home, or sealing and caulking any crack or holes in the foundation of the home.
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