Mold may be hiding in your home | Real Estate Newsletter
And these buyers ignored their agent.
Today, we’re talking about a gross issue that can turn into a huge deal if it’s left unchecked: mold.
A family in Blue Bell was dealing with rashes and fatigue when they got blood work done and all tested positive for mold. They found out it was coming from their basement and spreading throughout their home through their HVAC systems.
Read on to learn how to check for mold in your home and get rid of it before it becomes a bigger problem.
Keep scrolling for that story and more in this week’s edition:
Following their heart: Their real estate agent told them to skip this South Jersey house. They bought it anyway.
Affordability: Nationally, homebuyers need lower incomes than last year to afford a home. In Philly and Delaware County, they need to make more.
Signs of strength: In April, home price cuts and canceled purchase contracts were less likely in the Philly region than in most major metros.
An interior designer’s laboratory: Peek inside the South Philly rowhouse of a designer who specializes in rowhouses.
— Michaelle Bond
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When I was a freshman in college, I had a challenging class that started at 8 a.m. I didn’t eat much before it. Just drank some water and went.
The class gave me anxiety that manifested as an off feeling in my stomach. Come to find out, it wasn’t the class. It was the mold in my water bottle.
I don’t remember how long it took for me to come to that gross realization. But my point is, mold can hide in places that can make you sick. That includes your home.
Symptoms of mold exposure can include:
coughing
sneezing
itchy eyes
difficulty breathing
So what’s the difference between being sick from mold and sick from some virus going around? If you only have these symptoms in one place and they disappear when you leave, you might be dealing with mold.
Keep reading to learn where to look for mold in your home and what to do if you find it.
When Kyle Taveira and Martin Alfaro were looking for a home to buy, their agent scheduled 10 showings for one day.
The first house they saw was a Colonial in Palmyra. Alfaro says it looked “stunning” from the outside.
But as they walked up to the front door, their agent texted and suggested they skip it, because he didn’t think it was what they were looking for and it was over budget.
They decided to tour it anyway.
The house had the uniqueness and character the couple wanted. And Taveira, an architect, saw the property’s potential.
He and Alfaro negotiated down the price, and now the house is theirs.
Peek inside their home and learn about the many changes they’ve made since their messy move-in.
The latest news to pay attention to
Buying a home in Philly or Delco? You need to make more money than last year to afford it.
Heading into the busy summer rental season, the Philly area is among the country’s hottest markets.
In April, home price cuts and canceled contracts were less likely in the Philly region than in most major metros.
The Philadelphia Housing Authority is coming to Kensington for the first time, planning to add 61 senior apartments.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill touted an Atlantic City rebound at new $850,000 townhouses.
Developers of a Montgomery County development backed by the richest man in Pennsylvania presented a pared-back plan after hearing from residents.
A 39-foot pool is for sale in Mount Airy for $1.6 million. Also, a house.
The Boyd Theatre’s owners want to remove its historical marquee, and preservationists feel betrayed.
House of the week: For $649,000 in Queen Village, a former tailor shop and gas station turned into a home.
Ana Cvetkovic takes her work home with her. As the founder of Rowhome Design and the owner of a South Philly rowhouse, she uses her own space to play around with design ideas that she can bring to her clients.
Cvetkovic also uses her home as her own personal canvas. She describes her design style as “colorful, eclectic, fun, and maybe a little girlie.”
Her home is filled with florals and stripes. She’s got whimsical sculptures, bright surfaces, and a gallery wall where her TV blends in.
Her proudest purchases through Facebook Marketplace are two chandeliers that now hang in her office and dining room.
In her entryway are three attached stadium seats that she got from a vintage store. Cvetkovic doesn’t know what venue they’re from, but she thinks they look cool.
Peek inside the three-story rowhouse of an interior designer who specializes in rowhouses.
📷 Photo quiz
Do you know the location this photo shows?
📮 If you think you do, email me back.
Last week’s quiz featured a photo of the Smith Memorial Arch, a Civil War memorial at West Fairmount Park.
That’s the structure’s official name, but as readers William H., Bob G., and Alison noted, folks call it the Whispering Walls.
Alison told me: “My 95-year-old mother and her friends used to play there as children, using the walls to talk to each other like a telephone.”
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Do you know about “Penn Christmas?”
My colleague Erin McCarthy wrote about this annual tradition of people hunting for treasures in the mounds of furniture, electronics, and other household goods that University of Pennsylvania students leave on sidewalks when they move out of off-campus apartments.
She talked to folks who are furnishing their own homes with what they find, including a family who packed a U-Haul with four mattresses, a desk, and a chair and then came back for more the next day.
Very resourceful.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
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