Every new home owner’s worst nightmare is to move into their dream home only to find it has a problem with an infestation. Whether it is bed bugs, cockroaches or mice, you don’t want to be dealing with this on top of all the things you have to do to settle into your new home.
Everything may seem perfect at the outset and you may not even realize there is a problem until you are already in the house and living there. Which is why you have to be very careful before you even make an offer on the house.
Which means that you have to know the warning signs when there are problems when you are out looking at houses. You should even be looking beyond the house as there could be problems lurking that haven’t infested the house yet. If you see issues then you’ll want to make sure to keep the pests out before they invade.
In this article, I will go over all the things you need to know about a possible infestation before you move into your new house. If you are in doubt about your home, try to have an exterminator like Nextgen Pest Solutionsdo an inspection beforehand.
On the walkthrough
This is your time to look for the signs of many defects the house might have, but especially for pests.
While you are walking around make some mental notes on several observations. For example, there may be dead bugs around. Many times the realtor goes through the home and gives it a quick cleanup, but that isn’t always an option which presents you with an opportunity.
If you see things like some dead flies or mosquitoes, then don’t get concerned as this is natural and doesn’t mean there is a problem. If you see cockroaches on the other hand then you have a problem. If you see one then that means there are potentially hundreds that you don’t see.
Make sure you are also looking into corners or closets as these spots could easily be missed when the place is cleaned up before a viewing.
In addition to dead bugs, you should look for droppings. Especially in those hard to clean areas I just mentioned. Droppings will look different depending on the pest, but they should be clear to see. Mice droppings are around the size of a grain of rice and black. Whereas cockroach droppings are like black pepper in size and appearance.
There may also be small cracks around the areas that bugs and other pests use to enter into the living space. Keep an eye out for these cracks around baseboards and window sills. If there are brown spots around these cracks, then that is a sign that there is some heavy traffic coming in and out in that spot.
Lastly, while inside the house, you should be shining a flashlight in areas where there is a dark and damp spot where there may be bugs lurking at the time. Look under the sinks and around the toilet and shower in a bathroom. You may see not just signs of bugs but the bugs themselves if you do this.
Outside the home
While walking around the property, avoid trying to picture where you will put the grill and instead keep an eye out for signs of pests.
Look around the very edges of the house to see if there are lots of ants or their mounds. If you see any wood shavings then this is a sign that your potential house has termites. You may also see some mud tubes around that could be mistaken for worms when they are actually termite holes.
Look up into the trees to see if there are any nests up there. Squirrel nests will look leafy and high up in the tree. They may be tempted to enter your attic and set up a home there.
There may also be bees or other stinging insects up there so keep an eye out for that.
Look down at some points, too. Stinging ants will be obvious as they are pretty abundant. As you look around, you may also notice that there are holes around in the soil. This could indicate that there are moles or groundhogs that will ruin your yard.
Lastly, ask a neighbor if you have the chance. They might know if the previous owners had any issues with bugs or rodents that they talked about.
