Pest Control Service
When life’s next great adventure calls and it’s time to sell or buy a new home, you want that home to look its best. As a seller, the better a home looks the more potential for a higher selling price. And as a buyer, a great looking home can help you imagine yourself living in it, making it easier to choose.
And nothing ruins the look of a home on the market like a pest infestation that rears its ugly head (or more likely, heads) during an open house. Ongoing pest control is just as important for lived-in homes as it is for homes up for sale. In fact, it may be more important.
Think about it. Without people around to keep them in line, pests will soon realize that they have the run of the place. As a result, you may start to see increased signs of infestation from rodents and cockroaches, which can lead to upsetting surprises as interested home buyers tour your house or condo.
But there are creatures far scarier than a cockroach that scurries across the floor during an open house such as wood destoying insect infestations that harm the structure of your home. When selling a home this type of infestation is what a mortgage pest inspection will be looking for.
Mortgage Pest Inspections
When selling a home, you should plan on being required to provide proof of an inspection for wood destroying insects. For the most part, pest inspectors will be looking for signs of termite infestations, but carpenter ants and powder post beetles can also be responsible for wood destruction within your home or garage.
If the signs of infestation are discovered during your mortgage inspection a treatment will be required before the sale of your house can be complete. As the homeowner, it will usually fall on your shoulders to assume the expense of the treatment.
What should I look for as a home buyer?
While the burden to prove a pest inspection was completed is on the homeowner, as the homebuyer, you should consider taking steps to confirm that an inspection was completed by trained professionals. Speak with the seller (or their representatives) and request proof of the inspection. Then do your homework. That means researching the company who performed the inspection.
If the mortgage inspection did find signs of infestation, confirm the company who performed the pest control. Remember, the seller might have gone with a professional company for the inspection, but then shopped around for a cheaper option to perform the actual work. If this is the case, corners may have been cut, and you may want to consider an additional inspection from a pest control company that you trust.
Looking for a reputable pest control company?
PestMax ® has been serving Southwest Florida since 1999, and over those last 19 years we have worked hard to build our reputation as a top Southwest Florida Pest Control Company. Whether you are buying or selling, you can count on us to perform pest inspections and pest control services to the highest of standards.
