Bad Moldy Oldies

If you buy an older home and decideto fix it up, you may be inviting disasterin the form of mold. Older homes arenot as tight as today's houses, which arebuilt to be energy efficient. Making anolder home more energy-efficient maymean giving moisture a chance to stickaround instead of drying up, and moistureoften leads to mold. If your homeis invaded by mold, don't expect yourinsurance company to help much.Reeling from $8 billion in mold-relatedclaims in 2002, insurers have reacted byseverely limiting coverage, often addingpolicy exclusions for mold damage. Youmay need an expensive rider to yourpolicy to cover mold problems, but itcould be cheaper than getting rid of amold infestation. For tips on preventingand eliminating mold in your home,contact Mold Relief (405-590-6372;www.moldrelief.org).