I smell mold!

A recent client in Marin County smelled mold in a bedroom... but there was no indication of water damage and no visible mold.  Mold has a distinct odor, its almost unmistakable, but what does a mold inspector do when there is a smell but no visible mold? He keeps looking!  In this case, I found a plumbing leak in the crawlspace and wet cellular debris (pieces of old drywall) below the leak. The drywall was wet and had visible mold growth. The heat register in the bedroom was not sealed and there was a 1/2" gap between the sheetmetal boot and the framing. I could feel cold air blowing through the gap into the room. Even though the lab results came back "normal", I advised the client to seal the gap, fix the leak, and remove all the cellular debris from the crawlspace. Simple!