Not just mold... TOXIC mold!

July 6 - Lorri visits 211 Hunt Road with Roz and her husband, Sandy, also an attorney. Lorri takes photographs of what appears to be mold in a basement storage room, which had previously been hidden behind suitcases and other items prior to the sale.

Upon being asked about this mold-appearing substance, Roz says:  "That's not mold.  That's just some staining!"  Despite repeated questions, Roz maintains that this is "not mold," that she's seen mold before and this is definitely NOT mold! 

July 22 - Upon cleaning the house after purchase, Lorri and Lisa began to feel sick, continuing to be ill whenever they are in the house and feeling relatively better only when they do not stay overnight. 

July 28 - Complete home inspection determines toxic mold is present in various locations, in varying types and colors. 

"That's not mold!" says Roz Neiman.  "That's just some...staining."
Yeah. Okay.  Right. 

Mold.  From water?  From cat urine?  Both.  Who knows? 

Toxic black mold on the drywall.
Just one piece of the massive quantity of mold that pervaded our new "home." 

August 13 - Emilio and his crew arrive to demolish the basement "finishing."  As they tear away the surfaces and structures that have conveniently hidden this latest problem, vast quantities of toxic black mold are found throughout the dry wall, which is filled with rusted nails and other indications of serious water damage, particularly in areas adjacent to new water heater.  A similarly pervasive mold problem is found beneath the panels that were removed by Orlando Plumbing to complete the sewer lateral work.  Both the sellers and Roslyn Neiman saw this area before the closing of the house.

It strains credulity to believe that both the Exlers and Howard Hanna, in the form of Roz Neiman, were not aware of this extensive mold problem prior to putting the house on the market.  And it is next to impossible to believe that Roz Neiman -- a real estate agent with more than 20 years of experience -- did not know mold when she saw it.  But if nothing else, the mold exposed during the sewer lateral work could not have been mistaken for anything else.  And this triggered a legal requirement to inform the buyers (us) about this problem.  Not only did no one do so, they actively covered it up and denied the presence of mold, even as they were uncovering more of it, preferring instead to offload their house of horrors on two unsuspecting buyers. 

August 14 - More toxic black mold is exposed on, behind and below dry wall. Close examination of rotunda reveals different shades of paint were used to create the faux bricks along the base of the room. Both we and our contractors suspect more mold.  A powerful odor, possible a combination of black mold and mice, is emitted upon loosening the cap on a mysteriously placed rotunda sink.  What lies behind is mold, raw earth (with worms, of course), and other unsavory sights and smells.  Disgusting. 

August 15 - The demolition crew returns for what was supposed to be the final day of basement deconstruction. The sheer quantity of mold and mouse droppings uncovered today is truly staggering. The air in the basement is completely noxious and the entire space is beyond unsanitary.  The only question seems to be ... is there anywhere in this house where we WON'T find mold?! 

September 16 - HouseMaster performs mold testing, taking air and other samples throughout the house. Formal report and analysis follow several days later confirming 211 Hunt Road is chock full of mold of all varieties, including toxic black mold in the basement. 

November 9 - Yet another contractor (one of the flooring guys) discovers an entire sheet of 4’ x 8’ plywood subfloor in the dining room that had been previously saturated with water, was rotted and look and smelled of mold.  Testing confirms that it's more toxic stuff.

The dangers of even "regular" mold are well known, and the dangers of TOXIC mold are even worse.  Toxic mold -- especially toxic black mold (stachybotrys chartarum) -- creates countless health risks.   Most common are respiratory effects, including problems with breathing, nausea, vomiting, increased risk of infection, and bleeding from the lungs and nose.  Lorri did in fact experience multiple unexplained spontaneous nosebleeds during exposure to these toxins; she just didn't know yet (at the time we had not fully uncovered the hidden mold) what they were from.  Lisa experienced nausea, difficulty breathing, and general lethargy, among other things.  These people clearly did not care if they harmed us in any way -- financially, emotionally, even risking our very health.  They dumped their cat urine and black mold into our lives, and walked away with our money. 

Neither Howard Hanna as a company nor Roslyn Neiman as an agent did anything to help us remediate these problems or address our concerns as we discovered them after our purchase.  Their approach was not one that involved caring about us as customers or as human beings.  Instead their guiding principle in dealing with us appears to have been simply "deny, deny, deny."  

And what about that heavily advertised Howard Hanna "Money Back Guarantee"?  Oh, sorry, they said -- that doesn't apply to you.  

If you suspect mold in your home, make sure to get it checked out by a professional and make a visit to your physician to determine if your health is being affected.  Here's an EPA guide on mold -- how to identify and remediate it, along with resources on health risks of mold exposure.  

Mmmm... toxic black mold... Thanks Roz!!