When should my buyer test a home for mold or meth?

Mold and meth testing isn't part of a standard home inspection, but on the right house it's the most important test your buyer can buy. Foreclosures, long-vacant homes, former rentals, and anything with a strange smell or staining are the usual suspects. Colorado takes meth contamination seriously. Here's how I decide when to test and what to do with results.

The short answer

Test for meth when the home was a rental, sat vacant, is a foreclosure, or shows signs like odd stains, chemical smells, or tampered smoke detectors. A cheap surface screen can flag trouble. A certified test is the report lenders and future buyers rely on. Colorado has a state standard for meth contamination, and a home above it must be cleaned by a certified contractor and cleared before people live there. For mold, look for water: leaks, wet crawlspaces, winterized homes with roof problems. A moisture meter and a good inspector catch most of it. Air samples add a lab number.

Step by step

1. Spot the risk. Foreclosure, vacant for months, former rental, past water damage, smells, stains, or the seller can't tell you much.
2. Screen early. On homes you can visit before offering (like HUD homes), a surface meth swab and a crawlspace look before writing can save the buyer an earnest money fight.
3. Order the right test under contract. For meth, a certified assessment if the screen is positive or the risk is high. For mold, a licensed inspector with moisture readings, and air or surface samples if needed.
4. Know the meth rule. Colorado sets a cleanup standard. Homes over it need certified decontamination and clearance before occupancy. Check current rules with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
5. Get cleanup bids. Mold remediation and meth decontamination costs vary widely. Have a real number before negotiating.
6. Tell the lender. A documented contamination problem can affect financing. Talk to the lender before the buyer terminates or closes.
7. Negotiate or walk. Ask for professional cleanup with clearance testing, a credit, or terminate by the deadline. On HUD and many bank-owned homes, the seller won't repair, so the decision is mostly go or no-go.

How to explain it to your client

Watch-outs

• Disclosures may be blank. Banks and HUD often don't know the history. Testing fills the gap.
• Don't give health advice. Point buyers to licensed professionals and the state health department.
• Visible mold isn't always the expensive kind. Hidden mold from long-term leaks is the real cost. Find the water source.
• As-is sellers. HUD and many REO sellers won't fix anything. See HUD as-is inspections.
• Fair housing. Talk about the property's history and condition, never about who lived there.

Further reading

• Mold and meth in HUD homes: test before you bid on denver-hudhomes.com
• How property testing finds hidden mold on kennarealestate.com

This is training for real estate agents. It isn't legal or health advice. Check with your managing broker.

Frog tip: Try "five and five" every Monday: five sphere calls and five handwritten notes. That's hundreds of personal touches a year with zero pushiness. Learn more →

Questions

Does a regular inspection test for meth?

No. It's a separate test.

Is a DIY meth kit enough?

It's a screen. A certified assessment is what lenders and future buyers rely on.

What happens if a Colorado home tests over the meth standard?

It needs certified decontamination and clearance before it can be lived in. Check current state rules.

Can mold be fixed?

Usually. Fix the water source and remediate. Costs depend on how much is affected.

Will a lender finance a contaminated home?

Maybe not. Talk to the lender as soon as a result comes back.

Brian Lee Burke is the founder of PadLeaders, a Colorado real estate broker licensed since 2003, team leader of The Kenna Group at Keller Williams DTC (formerly Kenna Real Estate Group) and the author of Mastering Real Estate and The Real Estate Playbook. More about Brian.