West Virginia veteran says she found black mold in her new home just weeks after moving in — despite it passing an inspection. The Ramsey Show weighs in on how to move forward

“Long story short, [we] ended up getting someone to come in and test for mold, and it’s very high numbers,” Melissa said in a clip posted June 22. The type of mold found, she says, was Stachybotrys — often called black mold.

Melissa says the home passed an inspection before closing, but it’s unlivable in its current state, and she's unsure where to go from here.

Hidden problems

On top of the mold problem, an adjuster came by and informed Meslissa the basement wasn’t up to code. She says the estimated cost to fix the mold was at least $10,000, while upgrading the basement would set her back $20,000.

Melissa says she explored her legal rights.

“I contacted attorneys, and they all pretty much said that I don’t have a case because it’s a buyer-beware state,” she said. “They have no duty to disclose mold in West Virginia.”

Indeed, West Virginia operates under “caveat emptor,” where properties are sold as-is and sellers don’t have to provide potential buyers with a formal disclosure about the state of their property.

Melissa suggests it would have been beneficial to have hired a specific mold inspector for the job, rather than just a general one, to hold the seller accountable for any existing mold in the home.

Game plan

At the time of the call, Melissa says the family was living with her partner in Columbus, Ohio, and she commutes two-and-a-half hours every other day to meet with clients and maintain her business in West Virginia. She earns about $10,000 per month in disability and after-tax income from her job, but she has no savings and her costs are presently high.

Show co-hosts Jade Warshaw and Rachel Cruze suggested that Melissa find a cheap, temporary rental to provide stability between her home and work life while she searches for a permanent solution.