5 Signs of Spring Pests During Home Buying
Buying a home in beautiful Massachusetts can be an exciting time filled with dreams for the future, color swatches for painting, and designs for where your new furnishings will be placed within the space. However, before that all happens, home buyers go through a somewhat rigorous process of house hunting, bidding on potential houses, securing financing, and eventually the home inspection.
Since spring is one of the more popular times for house hunting, we thought it smart to review what home buyers may want to be on the lookout for in terms of signs of pests infesting the home either currently or in the recent past.
Let’s delve into this topic and examine five signs that homeowners need to be aware of as they tour homes and especially when an inspector does a professional evaluation.
Droppings
According to data from the 2020 Census Bureau’s American Housing Survey, Boston and the surrounding cities and towns rank as one of the top metropolitan areas with an abundance of rodents. This statistic may come as no surprise to those who already live in the area. However, new homeowners need to be on the lookout for signs that could indicate that a rat or mouse infestation is alive and well in the potential future home.
One of the most common ways to identify a rat or mouse living in or around a home is the telltale signs of droppings. These small, rice-shaped droppings could be anywhere in a home but more than likely will be near a food or water source such as in the kitchen, bathroom, or damp basement. Droppings could be an old or new sign of rodents occupying space in a home.
Wings & Shedded Skins
It’s fairly common for homes, especially in the northeast, to have some insects attempting to get in the structure for shelter, food, or water. From nuisance mosquitoes and flies to the more damaging termites and beetles, be on the lookout for wings or skins that may be shedding off these pests throughout the course of their life cycle.
Most insects go through a type of molting process where the skin is shed for a new layer of skin. Cockroaches, bed bugs, and beetles go through this process and leave their skins behind as a sign that they were once there.
Termites also leave a similar sign. They shed their wings during the swarming season and homeowners can often find piles of these wings near mud tubes or decaying wood in the basement or around the home where wood is exposed.
Odors
Pests of all varieties have vastly different odors. When rodents such as rats and mice urinate along a trail to food, the remnants give off an ammonia-like odor. Additionally, mice and rats rub off oily discharge from their fur which can cause a musty smell. Cockroaches tend to give off a musty odor as well. And the wildlife that has taken up home in your attic, basement, or chimney may leave behind a stinky feces odor.
Signs of Nesting
When touring a home during an open house or individual tour, be sure to look in the attic, basement, and possibly even crawl spaces to examine for any nesting spots. Mice and rats like to gnaw and chew at household items leaving a shredded mess, while other pests create straw and paper nests that may be visible as you walk through the home.
Rotting Wood
One aspect that could be a sign that pests have once been in your future home would be wood that is rotting, riddled with small holes, or bent or warped. Your inspector will want to pay close attention to these areas as repairs may need to be made upon move-in.
New England is a wonderful location to choose to live in despite these pests. While there may be an overabundance of types of pests, there are also many remediation techniques that can be used to control these little nuisances. Stay alert as you search for your perfect home and then call on the expertise of a professional home inspector to visually inspect your potential dream home.