How Pests Can Prevent You From Selling Your House

No one is interested in buying a home occupied by pests.  Whether it is termites, mice, squirrels, cockroaches or a pest of another variety, the presence of a single critter really can decrease a home’s selling price.  Just about every home buyer will have an inspection performed before making a financial commitment.  If pests are found during this analysis or if any pests are seen during the open house, it will prove challenging to sell the home for a price equal to or greater than  local comparables, also known as comps. 

 

 

Why Pests are Such a Problem if You are Selling Your Home

Pests are a problem for reasons beyond their ugly aesthetics.  Pets have the potential to damage the structure of your home.  Carpenter ants, termites, mice, squirrels and other pests can chew your home’s walls, floors and electrical wiring.  Carpenter ants and termites have the potential to eat right through your home’s wood beams, floors, walls, wallpaper and beyond.  Termites love to much on the cellulose in wood, making your home less structurally sound and consequently, less attractive to potential bidders.

 

A rodent in your home will be a problem beyond noise.  Rodents eat away at electrical wiring.  Some rodents set up nests near the home’s heat sources, creating a hospitable environment for their offspring.  It will prove that much more difficult to sell a home if an entire family of mice, rats or other rodents are living in the walls, attics, basement, etc. 

 

 

Picture from PestWorld.org

 

 

Pests and Human Health

Some rodents and pests are a threat to human health.  Mosquitoes, ticks, cockroaches and insects that sting are a direct threat to the well-being of those who move into the home.  Ticks can transmit Lyme disease.  Cockroaches can cause asthma attacks.  Mosquitoes transmit the West Nile virus.  Even something as simple as a spider can cause problems.  If your property has a black widow or brown recluse spider and prospective buyers know about its presence, you might  not get a single bid.  These spiders’ bites are painful to the point that the victim has to go to the emergency room.  If you do not take care of your home’s bug problem, it will only worsen to the point that it feels like mission impossible to get the market rate.

 

 

Pests are a Sign of a Poorly-sealed Home

A house laden with bugs, rodents or other critters is a house that is likely lacking in sealing and insulation.  The doors and windows should be properly sealed before the home is put on the market.  Every potential point of entry for critters must be secured.  Otherwise, bugs will invade your living space looking for warmth and food.  The sight of a single bug can sway a prospective buyer’s opinion from favorable to unfavorable.  Do not take the risk!  If you are worried about your home being overrun by bugs or the presence of a bug ruining the open house, take action now. 

 

Have a professional pest removal company treat your living space well ahead of the open house so bugs do not send potential bidders scurrying away in disgust.  It will also help to seal the small openings around windows, doors and other openings to make it that much more difficult for pests to invade your living space.  Be proactive, combat bug infestation today and you will minimize the odds of a bug appearing when it comes time to sell.

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