Finding the house that you want to spend the rest of your life is an important task.
That’s why it is vital to vet the house properly before buying it. Otherwise, your new home might be full of a few unpleasant surprises — PESTS.
The most common household pests that can plague an empty house are:
- Carpenter Ants
- Termites
- Rodents
- Cockroaches
- Bed Bugs
These pests are relatively common. They enjoy peace, quiet, and darkness — that’s the reason they’ve moved into your dream home and set up shop there. Plus, since the house is vacant, it gives these pests the chance to grow their colonies without any human interference.
This can potentially cause a huge problem when you move in — property damage that you have to pay for, and worse, they are carriers of dangerous diseases that can wreak havoc on your health.
So when you tour a house that you might potentially end up buying, you should call a residential pest control agency if you:
Discover Problems in infrastructure
Termites downgrade the home value by causing significant damage to the infrastructure. Here are a few signs that are indicative of an infestation:
- Peeling paint that looks like water damage.
- Wood, that sounds hollow when you tap it.
- Loose floorboards
- Maze like patterns in furniture.
Signs of a rodent infestation include holes chewed through walls and floors to create entry points. Wires that have been chewed or gnawed on are also a sure shot sign of a rodent infestation.
If you think any wooden furniture looks damp, you might have a carpenter ant infestation at hand.
Discover Suspicious Mounds in the House
If you discover suspicious mounds of white dust, or a pile of wings when you are touring the house, it’s an indication of pests.
- Termites leave behind pellets that resemble small piles of salt.
- Large swarms of termites can also leave behind heaps of wings.
- Mud tubes that are easy to spot with the naked eye are a sure shot sign of a termite infestation.
- Carpenter ants nest in wood and kick out wood shavings in piles.
Discover Bad Odors in the House
If the house you’re touring has a distinct odor, then you’re probably right, something is fishy. A cockroach infestation can give off a distinctly strong odor, and so can the fecal droppings of rodents like rats.
Discover Spots in the House
If the bedroom has spots — distinctive maroon or red-brown spots, these are telltale signs of a bedbug infestation.
Discover Sounds in the House
If you hear a few scratching sounds in the house you want to buy, but no one stays there — who are you going to call?
The ghostbusters? NO! You should call the rodent exterminator! Those scratchy sounds might be a sign of rodents running along walls and floors.
If you hear a rustling sound behind the walls, it might be a sign of a carpenter ant infestation.
But do remember, it is not enough to just lookout for these signs before buying a house. It is crucial to get a professional pest inspection before you buy it so that you know whether you should invest in the house or not. After purchasing, make sure to consider regular pest inspections to keep you house pest free.
Author Bio:
When people find their homes and offices infested with pests, it is not uncommon for them to panic. Raymond Web has taken the task to educate people on pest prevention and control strategies, helping them keep their surroundings healthy, safe and pest-free. As the digital marketing manager for Take Care Termite and Pest Control, in Tracy, CA, he has in-depth understanding of people and their pain points due to pests, which he efficiently uses in his content to educate people and add value to their lives.