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Weird Mold Myths in the Home Inspection Industry! It's a good thing I'm here...  XML
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William Chandler
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Joined: 06/23/2014 04:28 AM EDT
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there is a disconnect in this pricing and format which should be clarified or re-thought. it's one thing to charge $175 for a "mold air test" on the back of a HI; it's quite another to refer to a "mold assessment" for $375 by an unlicensed assessor, at least as far as FL is concerned. The law is crystal clear as far as "assessment" is concerned - you have to have a mold assessor license to issue a report or present findings. A lab report is not an assessment report. The firms who are sending unlicensed samplers out for $95.00 are preparing the reports in the office and the licensed assessor is signing the assessment report and submitting it to the customer. As far as I know, InspectorLab is not doing this for the HI - correct? At least, the fake assessment companies are charging $485 for the report - I personally hate your $375 pricing strategy and wish you would get off marginalizing the fee structure for the sake of selling lab sampling. It will only hurt the industry in the long run by encouraging people to hire incompetent air samplers and charlatans. I hope I never see a book called "Mold is Gold" and I think it would do a lot to discredit you. I'm honestly trying to help you with this comment and encourage you to think beyond marketing lab sampling. I think you are in a position to effect positive things and help HI's but your low ball fee approach is not the correct way to do it. Just read the comments posted - you've got people conducting air sampling and they admit they don't know how to do it! Think about it, Nathan.

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Cameron Anderson
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Joined: 09/27/2014 09:37 AM EDT
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Nathan wrote:Actually, you're just playing semantics with the "how much mold". You know very well how that is quantified, but it's real simple now- a PhD can give a thumbs up or thumbs down.

I'm not intending to play semantics. I am talking very specifically about how much mold is physically present in any particular home. No mold test at any lab 1 or 1000 miles away can answer that question definitively. People are led to believe otherwise as evidenced by mortgage and insurance professionals who rely on tests to answer that question.

Cameron Anderson
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Nathan
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Joined: 06/17/2014 09:32 PM EDT
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William Chandler wrote:there is a disconnect in this pricing and format which should be clarified or re-thought. it's one thing to charge $175 for a "mold air test" on the back of a HI; it's quite another to refer to a "mold assessment" for $375 by an unlicensed assessor, at least as far as FL is concerned. The law is crystal clear as far as "assessment" is concerned - you have to have a mold assessor license to issue a report or present findings. A lab report is not an assessment report. The firms who are sending unlicensed samplers out for $95.00 are preparing the reports in the office and the licensed assessor is signing the assessment report and submitting it to the customer. As far as I know, InspectorLab is not doing this for the HI - correct? At least, the fake assessment companies are charging $485 for the report - I personally hate your $375 pricing strategy and wish you would get off marginalizing the fee structure for the sake of selling lab sampling. It will only hurt the industry in the long run by encouraging people to hire incompetent air samplers and charlatans. I hope I never see a book called "Mold is Gold" and I think it would do a lot to discredit you. I'm honestly trying to help you with this comment and encourage you to think beyond marketing lab sampling. I think you are in a position to effect positive things and help HI's but your low ball fee approach is not the correct way to do it. Just read the comments posted - you've got people conducting air sampling and they admit they don't know how to do it! Think about it, Nathan.


I don't take any offense...it's the forum baby!

On the "Mold is Gold" title, it's a joke. I may make that the title of the book, but I will very early on in the book state why I made that the title.

On Florida you're right, things are a little different, so whenever I speak of mold testing (in a home inspection forum) for Floridians, know that I am specifically speaking of mold testing in concert with a home inspection.

We don't promote anything you take issue with- unlicensed assessors, etc.- in our model we are giving specific instructions to our clients on taking samples, and a PhD with qualifications far beyond any licensed assessor, industrial hygienist, etc., is making the report along with the determination.

I don't have a low ball fee approach, I have market knowledge. My fee approach will result in the best of two worlds:

1. Great ROI for the client.
2. Best revenue for the inspector.


If you're talking about licensed mold assessments in Florida, that's another topic altogether!

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Nathan
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Cameron Anderson wrote:
Nathan wrote:Actually, you're just playing semantics with the "how much mold". You know very well how that is quantified, but it's real simple now- a PhD can give a thumbs up or thumbs down.

I'm not intending to play semantics. I am talking very specifically about how much mold is physically present in any particular home. No mold test at any lab 1 or 1000 miles away can answer that question definitively. People are led to believe otherwise as evidenced by mortgage and insurance professionals who rely on tests to answer that question.


That's a semantic game by definition. "How much mold" is not a question that is asked by the labs or the mortgage or the insurance professionals.

The determination as to whether or not mold levels are elevated is at question, not the amount of mold in weight or volume.

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William Chandler
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Joined: 06/23/2014 04:28 AM EDT
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no problem with any of that Nathan. Just remember, many HI's (I'm talking FL) don't know the difference between an assessment and a lab report. I'm with you for the most part and not against you - I don't agree with the low assessment fee and never will.

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Nathan
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William Chandler wrote:no problem with any of that Nathan. Just remember, many HI's (I'm talking FL) don't know the difference between an assessment and a lab report. I'm with you for the most part and not against you - I don't agree with the low assessment fee and never will.


I think we're on the same page. Kind of a complex conversation for a forum with most participants being outside the weird state of Florida

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William Chandler
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Joined: 06/23/2014 04:28 AM EDT
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your right...I'll get off for 80 bonus posts so I can sit next to Pete...

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SheehanThomson
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Joined: 06/18/2014 11:28 PM EDT
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William Chandler wrote:your right...I'll get off for 80 bonus posts so I can sit next to Pete...


You can sit next to me, too William!

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William Chandler
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SheehanThomson wrote:
William Chandler wrote:your right...I'll get off for 80 bonus posts so I can sit next to Pete...


You can sit next to me, too William!


be glad to, Sheehan - I'm still short on points though. Tried to make up some ground in the last two days but I won't have as much time going forward...we'll see.

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Philo
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Joined: 06/18/2014 10:46 PM EDT
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Too late for me to sit at the Cool Kids' Table; I'll have to settle for 10 free Home Books.

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William Chandler
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Joined: 06/23/2014 04:28 AM EDT
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Philo wrote:Too late for me to sit at the Cool Kids' Table; I'll have to settle for 10 free Home Books.


if I get in, you can have my seat Philo. Juan doesn't want to sit by me.

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Cameron Anderson
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Joined: 09/27/2014 09:37 AM EDT
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Nathan wrote:That's a semantic game by definition. "How much mold" is not a question that is asked by the labs or the mortgage or the insurance professionals.

That wasn't my statement, it stemmed from docshane's post.
docshane wrote:#6 There are lots of reasons to test and identify mold from a home/building... Now days, mortgage companies are trying to spread their risk and insist on knowing what kind and how much mold is present.

If, as you say, mortgage and insurance professionals or even labs aren't relying on testing to tell them how much mold is present in a home, that's good since testing can't answer that anyway. Putting another mold myth to bed is a win for everyone.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 11/20/2014 10:14 AM EST


Cameron Anderson
Illinois Licensed Inspector
homeinspectionpeoria.com
Inspecting since 2004
309-712-1556
Peoria, Illinois
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Nathan
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Joined: 06/17/2014 09:32 PM EDT
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Cameron Anderson wrote:
Nathan wrote:That's a semantic game by definition. "How much mold" is not a question that is asked by the labs or the mortgage or the insurance professionals.

That wasn't my statement, it stemmed from docshane's post.
docshane wrote:#6 There are lots of reasons to test and identify mold from a home/building... Now days, mortgage companies are trying to spread their risk and insist on knowing what kind and how much mold is present.

If, as you say, mortgage and insurance professionals or even labs aren't relying on testing to tell them how much mold is present in a home, that's good since testing can't answer that anyway. Putting another mold myth to bed is a win for everyone.


You're twisting.

We do mold testing every day for this purpose, and the "how much mold" is in reference to one of two things:

1. Exhibited growth in a surface sample.
2. Elevated levels in air quality tests.


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Cameron Anderson
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Nathan wrote:You're twisting.

We do mold testing every day for this purpose, and the "how much mold" is in reference to one of two things:

1. Exhibited growth in a surface sample.
2. Elevated levels in air quality tests.

I'm not twisting at all. A surface sample represents only the area which was sampled, usually less than 4 in.². An air sample represents only the time and location of that sample. I know that, you know that, labs know that, but many inspectors and almost every other laymen involved in the transaction won't know that. That's why a mold test does provide comfort as Juan pointed out. When a client doesn't know what it truly represents it's easy to sell them the idea that a couple mold tests will tell them "how much mold is present in my home".

Cameron Anderson
Illinois Licensed Inspector
homeinspectionpeoria.com
Inspecting since 2004
309-712-1556
Peoria, Illinois
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William Chandler
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Joined: 06/23/2014 04:28 AM EDT
Messages: 1358
Location: Florida
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Cameron Anderson wrote:
Nathan wrote:You're twisting.

We do mold testing every day for this purpose, and the "how much mold" is in reference to one of two things:

1. Exhibited growth in a surface sample.
2. Elevated levels in air quality tests.

I'm not twisting at all. A surface sample represents only the area which was sampled, usually less than 4 in.². An air sample represents only the time and location of that sample. I know that, you know that, labs know that, but many inspectors and almost every other laymen involved in the transaction won't know that. That's why a mold test does provide comfort as Juan pointed out. When a client doesn't know what it truly represents it's easy to sell them the idea that a couple mold tests will tell them "how much mold is present in my home".



Property360, LLC
www.TheBuildingInspector.net
www.360pestpro.com
www.inspectnewhome.com
www.property360concierge.com
www.mold360.com
homeinspectionflorida.us/
jacksonvillehomeinspectionguide.com
orlandohomeinspectionguide.com
thecommercialbuildinginspector.com
ASHI Certified Inspector
Certified Master Inspector
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinions but not their own facts"
[WWW]
 
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