Q. The house we are interested in has onset of mold in the attic. The inspector recommended remediation, to include increased ventilation in the attic. The seller says that installing soffit vents is an upgrade and won’t do it. Is the installation of a soffit vent an upgrade?
A. Like everything else about purchasing or selling a home this is a negotiating point. The mold remediation probably cost the seller upwards of two or three thousand dollars. Taking care of present mold does not prevent future mold – as you indicate, you need to address the cause. Creating soffit vents will go a long way to avoiding future mold. I have had clients on both sides of this “fight”… look at the “deal” you got on the house – every house – new or old – will have necessary upgrades or maintenance issues. If you feel you got a fair deal on the house, let the soffits go – it’s not a huge expense to have them added, consider is something you need to do and take care of it when you own the house. Then you know it will be done right. Good luck!
