Mold inspections are primarily visual in nature. While valuable and informative, they are not in depth and no destructive or detailed testing is involved. A thorough mold inspection should include inspecting the attic, removal of any access panels, etc.

Mold testing on the other hand is more involved and may include one or more testing methods. The most common testing methods are swab sampling, tape lifting and air sampling. Tape lifting and swab sampling are primarily used to verify a suspicious substance is mold, or to identify the species of mold. In real estate transactions, sampling is often helpful in proving if a stain in question is in fact mold.