I just have to say that it has been very interesting in our recent blog venture. I have had alot of fun developing the blog but feel like such a "newbie". To be honest, its quite a humble feeling to have so much real estate experience but not quite know how to fully operate a real estate blog....I have posted quite a few posts with no comments to date. LOL I feel as though I am talking to myself....

       Anyway, moving right along...Recently we went under contract to purchase a house from an elderly couple that actually had no mortgage. No foreclosure, not behind on payments or anything of the sort. Just an older couple that would like to move somewhere warm all year long...(Please take me with you) LOL...The only catch is that I don't think the house has been updated let alone painted in over 30 years. The house actually is a full rehab ($85,000) to put it lightly. We are actually looking to wholesale the property rather then sit on it and risk such a lay out in such a risky market. 

     We are buying the house "As Is" however we do have a right to a home inspection and do have a right to know if there are any hazerdous conditions. Such as but not limited to....Structural, Mold, Radon, Lead Paint...etc. Well, "lo and behold" we did perform a home inspection, and yes we found some of the issues previously mentiond. MOLD MOLD & MOLD - ASBESTOS ASBESTOS & ASBESTOS. Yes indeed, black mold and insulated aged steam heat pipes in the basement.

           Did we walk away from the deal? Did we run from the scarey words MOLD & ASBESTOS that feeds many an industry? NO, we did not. We had a mold specialist representative from IAC (Indoor Air Care) out of Rockland County, N.Y. come and access the situation. He let us know that he would be able to resolve the problem and treat it accordingly at a cost that would be very reasonable (far less then we thought perviously). Peace of mind truly has a value in itself. As Far as the asbestos...we also recieved a very reasonable price from an expert locally, and have a finished guarantee.

      Oh yea, we recieved a $15,000 credit from the seller even though we bought the property "As-Is" People, all I can say is..."Don't run from any problem you come across in real estate" because each situation is very different from the last, as each situation creates opportunity if approached and handled correctly.

We also started using the "specific critical hits" house rule in this session.

Session Date: 30.5.08
Game Date: 385 TME (to The Modern Era) Spring
Present Players: Mickey (Verena), Koby (Tristan), Effim (Diadora), Alex (Felix)
Day 32 in the Maze.
Start Time: ~12:00
NPCs Met: None.
Rooms ExploredThings Done:

• Verena used Limited Wish to Raise Felix from the Dead. The very difficult and emotional ceremony ended with Felix very much alive (although weakened by the experience) and with both him and Verena sharing a new "tattoo" or scar (of Mystra's Holy Symbol) - he on his chest and she on the palm of her hand.
• Felix rested a bit and then Raised Diadora from the dead. She returned as Megana, a noble elitist who thought that all males where her servants (and later on believed that Verena was her servant too). Megana (which will later return) likes baths, clean clothes, wine, meat and basically everything that Diadora hates. She commanded Felix to do her bidding and shut up; he, annoyed, doused her head with water, and she, in return, blasted him with fire. Wisely Felix decided to let it go and Megana went to sleep, as did Felix, until he could raise Tristan (whom Megana greeted with "Yuck! What is that thing?!") the next day. Verena took the time to have a headache and write a scroll.
• Celandriel and Felix had a short chat before Felix went to sleep (Cel doesn't sleep) about gods. Cel once again said that he doesn't acknowledge any of Felix's gods, and mentioned Delom, God of Death, as an example of a true god. The only thing strange about this is that Cel did recall the god Deneir the last time they talked, but this time he didn't remember him. [Alex - please sit down and have one conversation with Cel on the subject, maybe even with the others helping you, since these discussions are starting to get repetitive, and you don't recall their details later. One conversation, maybe with Tristan and Verena in the area, with someone making notes of it, should help you more].
• Diadora woke up as herself, not remembering that she died, was raised or who Megana is. Verena and Felix decide to drop it and behave as if nothing happened.
• Felix revives Tristan and you all move along.
• Tristan and Diadora once more experience the depressing effect of the Black Mold.
• In the narrowing granite corridor you encounter a Living Reverse Gravity Spell and while you all investigate it, Tristan and Felix disappear and the creature attacks Diadora and Verena. The spell has little effect on nimble Diadora, but Verena suffers quite a few "bounces" before she decides that perhaps attacking from the distance is better. Very quickly, however, Diadora and Verena dispatch of the creature, with Diadora's lightning frying him to a turn and Verena's acid finishing him off. [Well done for an excellent battle. You really made quick work of the creature.]
• Meanwhile, Felix and Tristan appear in a completely different corridor, made of sandstone. Tristan enters a rage, Felix Calm Emotions him, and then the two, without further ado, start walking. Felix stops only to ask Tymora what will be his fate in the next hour ("Great Peril!", Tymora answers) and to send out a Clairvoyance eye to see what Diadora and Verena are up to (it sees nothing).
• Felix and Tristan finally reach a room with Han, warrior of Nadar, and Kuri. Tristan is filled with an urge to fight Han, and the two have a magnificent duel [it was quite short, actually. It took us (especially me) some time to determine damage, effects, concealment, etc. but the whole thing took 6 rounds, which is absolutely amazing. You've built yourself quite a character, Koby.] while Felix and Han's monkey-toad like companion quarrel over a jar [I'm kidding. Felix made a good call when he grabbed the thing's jar. He did a lot less damage without it, believe me. And choosing to focus on healing Tristan was the right thing to do - as was the idea to cast Fly on him]. Tristan won, and what happened later (becoming a Warrior of Nadar and who Nadar is) he will tell you later.
• Tristan gave Han a proper burial, not touching a thing of his equipment (great roleplaying decision) and Kuri and his jar vanished with a screech into thin air. Tristan then told hold of Felix, said "We are ready now" and the two returned to Diadora and Verena.
• Verena and Diadora, meanwhile, kept walking, marking with chalk their way. They suddenly encountered a middle-aged, moon-faced elf Wizard (evoker) who said that his name is Runir Alandel and that he is waiting for his friend Jolan. He had quite a jolly, somewhat naive air about him, and he took Megana's (yes, she returned) behavior with a lot of humour, casting Mordekainen's Magnificent Mansion and inviting her in. Verena chose to stay outside with him, drinking a glass of "spiced" milk. Jolan then appeared on the scene, and he and Runir chatted a bit, and both of them had no idea what maze Verena was talking about ("this is the Academy at Thule"). Verena told them that her friends were missing and Runir suggested calling Myrista (or Myr, as they called her) the Academy's Divination Master. She at first sent her aide, being busy, and then appeared herself - in a very bad mood. She never heard of the maze either, nor did she know any of the gods Verena mentioned. She left to continue her scrying, and Runir gave Verena a tour of the place [I didn't have time to describe it properly during the session so: the Academy apparently consists of several building. You were in the main one. It's a large, sprawling building, five stories high and three stories below the ground - which hold the battle rooms, the main battle hall, the laboratories and "a lot of storage". The Master's Hall and the Master's Complex (which is where you are) occupies the entire third floor, with the rest of the floors holding classrooms, libraries, senior students' and continuing students' dorms, conference rooms, exam rooms, the sick bay and private dining rooms for the senior students and staff. The paintings you saw on the wall are of battles and people's portraits - some of them of creatures of unknown race or kind. You passed a few Masters and aides on the way, most of them warrior like, some of them with holy symbols like that Myr had on her person and others with other strange symbols [or no symbols at all] - quite a few with the symbol that you will later learn is Nadar's]. After the tour you decide to rest in Runir's Mansion, talking about magic and the gods with him. You learn about daemons, and that magic, as Runir believes, doesn't come from Mystra or the weave. You eventually arrived at the mansion and when you walked in you found yourself back in the corridor you were in before you met Runir, with Diadora sleeping on the floor a few feet from you. As usual, when she woke up she remembered nothing of what happened, much to Verena's frustration, especially when Tristan and Felix reappear, and think her "confused" as well. We leave you with Tristan eager to move on, Diadora agreeing with him but a little confused about the change that he went, Verena with a splitting headache, and Felix just happy that nobody died this time... :)
• We ended the session with you all leveling up, if I'm not mistaken. Welcome to level 16! Only 4 (or so) levels to go!

Enemies fought: A living spell of Reverse Gravity, Kuri the Guardian Night Vush, Han[on] Ibilixian Diamoncrusher Warrior of Nadar on earth.

One Liners: "I think it's evil" Felix analyzes a demonic looking creature with a soul jar in one hand, a sacrificial dagger in the other and an aura of darkness around it. " I'm a stick and I wouldn't touch her!" Cel compliments Diadora.

Things found: What does Celandriel know? What's with Diadora? What happened to Tristan? Who is Nadar? Who were all the people Verena claims she met? Where is this mysterious Great Academy (in Thule - but where in the Nine Hells is Thule)? Why are Celandriel and Tristan suddenly such good friends? And why are Diodora and Tristan in such a hurry?

End Point: ~10:00. You’ve spent almost four days in the maze inside the maze (day 34 in the maze).

Going Green While Battling Mold and Mildew

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If you do have mold and mildew problems, the best thing to do before anything is trying to find the source of the problem. This will allow you to then use a natural cleaning product to get rid of the problematic area.

There are numerous times where many home owners will battle black mold and mildew and not really have a clue where the source of the problem is, this will lead to very large headaches.

For more unique cleaning products, visit MyCleaningProducts.com

Need help deciding on which natural cleaning products you think are best...

What is it? 

Black mold is a genus of molds, also called Stachybotrys. Black Mold prefers to call cellulose-rich materials like fiberboard, gypsum board, paper, dust, and lint “home sweet home.” But what it can do to your home is anything but sweet.  Black mold wrecks havoc on your indoor air quality-often coming to life if fungus on water-damaged building materials goes unchecked.

What causes it? 

Mold spores only need certain basic conditions to reproduce and grow.  Give them water, food, and the right temperature range and they will thrive. Black  mold grows better in a dark environment with an organic, porous material to grow on.  Such materials are often the black mold’s very source of both food and water. Growth typically occurs when there is moisture from water damage, excessive humidity, water leaks, condensation, water infiltration, or flooding.  

What problems are associated with it? 

Black mold can cause problems for your health and your home.  Watch for the following symptoms if you suspect you have a black mold infestation:

• Itchy Throat
• Watery Eyes
• Headaches
• Memory Loss
• Irritated skin
• Excessive Coughing (even coughing up blood)
• Excess Mucus
• Bleeding in the lungs
• Mold in the bloodstream
• Possible mild strokes
• Fatigue

In your home, it can manifest in a number of ways.   If you have dry rot, you probably have black mold. Dry rot, a common condition in older homes, is a bacteria similar to mold and needs the same type of conditions for ideal growth-a damp, dark spot in your home.  Another indicator is if you notice tiny trees growing in your rain gutters.  It means they're blocked-and potentially providing the perfect playground for black mold. 

Other sure signs that you may have black mold invading your home:

• You've recently had a basement flood, or you've got a serious basement leak.
• There are musty or mildew-like odors somewhere in your home.
• One or more of your walls is discolored, or the paint is cracked and peeling
• Your wooden floors are warped

How can it be treated?

If you have a small, isolated problem with black mold, the solution is quite simple.  In most cases mold can be removed by a thorough cleaning with bleach and water. If you have an extensive amount of mold and you do not think you can manage the cleanup on your own, you may want to contact a professional.  Call the professionals at Air Now, who have experience in cleaning black mold in buildings and homes.

If you prefer to be your own handyman, you can try the following on your own before calling in a professional:

Locate and fix all sources of mold-causing water intrusion such as recurring flooding, plumbing leaks, leaky roofs or siding, blocked air-conditioning condensation drain lines, and high indoor humidity.

Inspect and test inside, above, and below each water-damaged ceiling, wall, and floor with a fiber optics inspection device or at at-home mold test kits, which can be purchased at hardware or home improvement stores.  Cut off small one inch squares of core dry wall to sample. Remove the sample and look in the middle and back of each core for visible black mold growth.

Find and locate all toxic black mold infestations (visible and hidden) in the entire home or building.  Wherever you see visible black mold, you can simply use clear Scotch tape to lift a sample off of it, or scrape visible mold particles into a mold test kit.  Mold may be hidden in places such as the back side of dry wall, wallpaper, or paneling, the top side of ceiling tiles, the underside of carpets and pads, etc.   Black mold also likes to live around leaking pipes, wall surfaces behind furniture (where condensation forms), inside ductwork, and in roof materials above ceiling tiles.

Test the outward airflow from each heating/cooling duct for high levels of airborne black mold spores. Airborne mold spores from heating and cooling ducts will usually enter through them as well as the rest of the building.  If you have a problem, calling a place like Air Now and allowing professionals to remove it, can bring you peace of mind and a mold-free home.

Replace any mold-infested heating/cooling equipment and ducts .

If replacing everything is too expensive for you, do repeated mold fogging and mold spraying with a mold fogging machine or sprayer into the return air duct while the system is running.  The fan ventilation will distribute the fungicide to interior surfaces. Fogging is much more wide-reaching, and therefore more effective in killing black mold than spraying alone.

How Can Black Mold Be Prevented? 

• Keep humidity level in house below 50%.
• Use an air conditioner or a dehumidifier during humid months.
• Periodically wipe any growth from your HVAC cooling coils with disinfectant
• Clean/disinfect the drain pan (where the condensation from the cooling coils drip)
• Change HVAC filters regularly
• Remove potentially contaminated insulation lining the ductwork of your HVAC system, or it will spread mold spores throughout your house when it is running
• Be sure the home has adequate ventilation, including exhaust fans in kitchen and bathrooms
• Use mold inhibitors which can be added to paints
• Clean your bathroom with mold-killing products
• Do not carpet your bathrooms
• Remove and replace flooded carpets

Whether it is prevention or a cure you’re going after, calling Air Now and enlisting their professional help will go a long way towards preserving your health and your home.

Holly Russo's tub comes clean now, but there was once a moldy nightmare lurking underneath it. "Our first reaction, when we saw the mold, was absolute horror. I could not believe what was under there. I've never seen anything like it," says Russo.

Mold that's made its way indoors can cause health problems, but many people still don't understand the hazards. Now, industrial hygienists are growing mold to learn more about how it grows, what it grows on, and how mold makes us sick....

Read the entire story and watch the VIDEO at Ivanhoe Broadcast News

Session Date: 22.2.08
Game Date: 385 TME (to The Modern Era) Spring
Present Players: Mickey (Verena), Koby (Tristan), Effim (Diadora), Alex (Felix)
Day 31 in the Maze.
Start Time: ~10:00
NPCs Met: None.
Rooms ExploredThings Done:Felix slept until morning, and then ressurected Tristan and Diadora, while Verena lay tied up on the floor. Tristan talked to Verena and explained things to Felix, and then eased Verena out of her bonds [Mickey, I seriously suggest that "curing" herself becomes one of Verena's main goals. It will also probably bring her closer to Tristan and probably also Felix. Tristan, Felix and Verena are all afflicted in one way or another. This should bring you closer, and change the group interaction. How will Diadora respond?]. Verena had a rough night and didn't sleep much, hence no spells (and maybe room for a journal?). Diadora came back to life in a very moody mood (no pun intended). This was her first time experiencing death, and she showed no appreciation to Felix for bringing her back to life. However, Felix does know that her soul must have been willing to return, or otherwise he couldn't have brought her back to life (Efim, this is worthy of a journal entry, if ever there was a topic worthy of one. Alex, there's also plenty of room for Felix to wonder and try to guess what's going on - surely room for a journal too, especially considering what happened between you and "Cel" as you call him).  Tristan played the part of comforter for both of the girls (I couldn't have planned a funnier situation. Room for a comic journal entry). You then set off, as Diadora was very eager to move on. Felix took the time to talk to his staff, Celandriel, and during their conversation the name of Tymora was raised. Celandriel had never heard of the name (which is completely understandable, since more than 385 years ago Tymora didn't exist - Tyche was the goddess of both good and bad luck), and accused Felix of inventing his own god. Refusing to hear anything of it, Celandriel announced that he was now going to worship "gnihton" (gnee-ton), god of staffs. Diadora smirked when she overheard this, and Felix got into a fight with Celandriel, which was only stopped by "the battle of the molds" (second time a round that I get you through molds :) ). You entered a corridor full of mold of various colors and textures, until you reached an area of black mold (Verena - "black molde is also known as "melancholy molde" or "molde of despair". Encountered underground only, it is the produce of magic: caused by the violent death of a powerful spellcaster, usually by a curse or powerful transmutative magic. It generates a powerful aura of despair around it, causing the weak-willed to view their life as a complete failure or their current task as a useless endeavor. Attempts have been made to artificially grow it, as it's a rare and required component to certain powerful restoratives and is a good deterrent against thieves, however, the plant is highly toxic and must not be touched with bare hands, and will not grow beyond a certain radius from the area of said violent death", Nexteous Hedriges, herbolgy and alchemy master, Baldur's Gate Arcane School for the Gifted). Tristan fell into deep despair, where he will remain for some time, whilst Diadora, ironically, found new interest in life. Tristan carefully gathered some mold for her in a bag, which she stowed in her backpack, and you moved on a bit - and were attacked. Out of the moldy walls, from behind you and before you, appeared two hideous creatures, humanoids made out of mold, they seemed (you know nothing about them). They attacked you, and you suffered from their chilling auras, which seemed to freeze the lifeblood in you. Felix fell at the first moments of combat, as he was bitten by the yellow, noxious mouth of the creature behind you, and his body collapsed completely from the poison. Verena then cast ward that protected you from cold, whilst the mold creature before you attacked Tristan, and Tristan fought back as well as could, under the effects of despair. Another mold creature came out of the mold in front of you, and Diadora summoned an air elemental to help Tristan out. Tristan entered into a fury and then a rage, and displayed an amazing ability to sustain damage and constitution drain without dropping (-300 and something hp. That's more hp than my epic wizard has). Tristan drops one poisonous mold creature, Diadora knocks another one prone (giving you a few rounds), Verena casts some damage spells (magic missile, mostly) and Bigby's Grasping Hand to keep one creature at bay. Diadora's air elemental did no damage, but Diadora's favourite worm spell does, and amongst all of you, you manage to kill the creatures. Tristan then drops to the floor, very-very dead, and Verena is left, weakened by one of the creature's bite, to raise Felix from the dead. However, both she and Diadora must sleep first, to replenish their spells, and Felix must wait 'til morning before he can raise Tristan, as he's got no more "raise dead" spells learnt (tip - buy scrolls for these kind of things, just in case).

Enemies fought: Three mold creatures.

Things found: What's with Celandriel? What and how much does he know? Black mold - for Diadora. Why was Diadora so upset when she came back to life?

End Point: ~12:00. You’ve spent about a day and two hours in the maze inside the maze.

Read the Full Story at WFTV.com

(Looks like one parent is wanting to file suit against the school district.  Could be messy!)

Mold is everywhere and can be found in the air, on surfaces, outdoors, indoors, even on the cheese in our refrigerators. It is a microscopic organism that reproduces itself by means of tiny spores which are invisible to the naked eye that float through outdoor and indoor air.
It is part of our natural environment and a necessary process of nature.
Mold's job in nature is to break down dead organic matter such as fallen leaves or dead trees and decompose it.
There are many types of mold that we know of, but none of which will grow without moisture or water.

Outside mold does not pose much of a problem, it's when mold starts growing indoors that the problems begin. Mold can begin growing and spreading indoors when its spores land on surfaces that are wet. Not only can mold destroy things it grows on but it can also cause moderate to severe health issues. Mold is the greatest known health threat to the indoor environment today.

Molds produce allergens (substances that can cause allergic reactions), irritants, and in some cases, potentially toxic substances (mycotoxins). Mold affects different people in different ways. Some people may not be affected by mold at all, while others,especially people with asthma may be adversely affected or even have an astma attacks when
coming in contact with or around mold infected areas.

Inhaling or touching mold or mold spores may cause allergic reactions in sensitive people. Allergic responses include hay fever-type symptoms, such as sneezing, runny nose, red eyes, and skin rashes. Reactions can be immediate or delayed. In addition mold exposure can irritate the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs of both mold allergic and non-allergic people. For more health information on mold you may wish to contact your state or local health department.

The key to controlling mold inside your home is to control the amount of moisture indoors. Mold spores will not grow if moisture is not present.
Make no mistake, mold can cause serious health problems. If you suspect you have a mold issue contact a professinal certified mold inspector and have your home tested. Make sure your home isn't making you sick.

In my next post I will discuss ways to control indoor moisture and how to clean up mold if you already have it.

Steve
Steve's Precision Home Inspections

What Causes Mold to Grow?

What mold is

What is Toxic Mold? 

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