Maria Leitschuh could never have guessed the problems her only 12-year-old house has in its walls.
"And if you touch it...it's completely rotten, completely wet," she said.

It all started in Maria's home office where she noticed a small leak in her ceiling.

"Where we were thinking the damage was in the [office], it was not," she said.

The majority of the damage is upstairs in her bedroom, where the walls are damp to the touch. She's going to have to replace a big chunk of the wall at a cost of over $5,000. Insurance won't cover mold, and the home's warranty is up.
"We're caught between a rock and a hard place, and it's very frustrating," Maria said.

Local experts say mold in newer developments is a common problem because of faulty construction. In this case, a J-Channel to divert rain away from the siding was never installed so year after year, rain seeped into the walls.
The best advice for mold problems: Investigate your home prior to warranty deadlines and document everything. Make sure to find the full extent of the damage. And finally, don't rely on city inspectors alone. Like with Maria's home, they can and did miss a problem that will now cost thousands to fix.

"And you can't just walk away from it and you can't sell it...," Maria said.

Whether your home is old or new, there could be some hidden mold problems. 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS did some digging--here's what you should look for. First, check your windows for gaps where water could be coming in or getting trapped.

Next, check your siding or the exterior of your home to make sure it's secure along with your foundation and drainage system. All the water should drain away from your home.

Finally, make sure to check your attic for condensation.

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