Buying a home is always an exhilarating but stressful experience. The stress would only be compounded if soon after you move in you discover an existing pest or wildlife problem, and/or wildlife damage that was never disclosed to you by the seller. That can be very irritating and not only irritating but costly as well.
If damage to an attic by wildlife isn’t tackled with due process, the costs could climb up to the thousands, even tens of thousands and in some cases even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Do you want to purchase a home that’s been infested by pests and wildlife? Of course not!
According to a study done by PestWorld.org, approximately 29% of American homes are experiencing a pest infestation of some sort and that 24% of those infestations occur in the attic. 22% of those problems are found in the midwest, which aligns with right up here in Ontario.
As you can infer by the image below, the probability that the home you’re planning to purchase has or once did have a pest issue is quite high.
Don’t be fooled by the word “had” because previous pest and wildlife issues that aren’t properly rectified can and probably will recur again. Only after a thorough inspection combined with pest and wildlife prevention can a home be deemed pest and rodent free.
The age of the home matters slightly
The age of a home is generally a contributing factor to pest infestations but not by a huge margin. Of course long term exposure to the elements and natural wear and tear on a home can make it more susceptible to but regardless of the age of your home, if rodents, mice, raccoons or squirrels are eager enough to get in; they usually can and will.
What this equates to is that it doesn’t truly matter whether your home is new or not or only a decade old or so; when pests and wildlife want to get into a home and find an opening, they’ll tear though it easily and naturally damage and contaminate whatever they decide to nest.
In 2003, one of our customers purchased and moved into a home that was approximately 40 years old and ended up having to fork out over $10,000 in repairs. Her problems weren’t found weeks or months after she moved in, she discovered the pest problem overnight!
You can only imagine the feelings and frustrations she had having to technically add another ten grand to the purchase of her home. Her problems could have easily been avoided had she or the previous owner had taken the liberty of setting up an inspection before the home went on the market.
Home sellers beware if the home is infested
In April of 2014, a woman had purchased a home worth over 1 million dollars only to find that she purchased and moved into a home that had a severe rodent infestation. This woman became so disturbed and traumatized at her discovery that she sued; not only the home seller, but the real estate agent that listed the home as well.
The statement of claim that was filed with the courts cited that she was seeking over $400,000 to pay for repairs and previous damages.
She claims that because of the infestation, she has had to replace the roof of the house and the attached garage, remove all the drywall, ceiling tiles, insulation and other coverings, and make a number of other repairs.
We believe she had a very valid claim. The point in this case is two-fold: it’s probable that a home seller may try to hide or cover up a previous infestation or the damage it’s caused, and in the case of buying a home you really never know what you’re getting into until an inspection is thoroughly done.
Home owners who are selling and real estate agents must be aware of the importance of disclosing an accurate disclosure agreement to the buyer and ensure if there ever was a pest or wildlife problem in the past, to include that information.
What about buying a farm or a home near a farm?
According to Canada’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the problems with mice, pests and other forms of wildlife are quite high, quite probable and they do suggest immediate pest control in order to save embarrassment and money in the case of extreme damage:
Surveys in Ontario indicate that 80% of poultry producers and 89% of swine producers have rodent problems. The probability is that mice or rats currently exist on your farm. The embarrassment and costs occur if something is not done to confront the problem. (Source)
With that said, if the home you plan to purchase is actually a farm, the odds that it currently or has had pest problems in the past is quite high.
If the home you plan on purchasing is in a rural area very close to one or many farms, it’s obvious the risk is higher. This is another example of why setting up a professional inspection of your future home is probably a truly responsible decision to make.
The take home
The bottom line is obvious; pest, wildlife and rodent issues are common, and without effective eviction and prevention methods applied to a problem, the problem lingers and gets worse.
When buying or selling a home the best decision you can make is to arrange for an inspection for pest and wildlife problems so you can save yourself and the person purchasing the home lots of time and money.
A pest protected home is a safe home and no one can put a dollar value on the safety and well being of your family.
Do you need wildlife removal services? Request a quote today!