You’ve almost closed a deal on that house—the buyers are happy and so are you. But before you sign the deed over to the new owners, a real estate home inspection is necessary.
You as a realtor need to do more than the routine repair check, the thorough house cleaning, and instilling that “spic and span” feeling.
Why a Residential Pest Inspection Is Necessary
You should also involve a real estate home inspection service which makes sure that the house is free of routine pests. If you have a pest infection in the house, it can devalue the property. Here are a few ways this can happen:
Pests can pose a health threat to potential buyers. Cockroaches can cause many allergies and bee stings can cause adverse reactions. Potential buyers may shy away from making a deal if they spot a potential health hazard.
Health effects aside, there are some pests that will cause structural damage to the house. Such as:
German Cockroaches
German cockroaches damage books, wallpapers, and similar items by feeding on them. Unless proper cockroach control is implemented, German cockroaches can also produce foul-smelling secretions.
Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants tend to hollow out tunnels in decaying wood to nest inside.
Bed Bugs
Though bed bugs are far from causing any structural damage to a house, an infestation can impact its value since bed bugs are notoriously difficult to get rid of.
Honey Bees
Honey bees can enter your home from small openings in your house and can construct honeycombs that can fill the whole wall cavity. These colonies can grow to such an extent that they can damage walls and roofs of the rooms they reside in.
Fire Ants
Fire ants can cause electrical malfunctions by swarming electrical devices in large numbers.
Powderpost Beetles
Powderpost beetles can cause structural damage by destroying wood-based furniture, support beams and other random objects.
Termites
Termites are the most feared pests as they can lower your home’s aesthetic appeal. Termites reduce the value of your home by eating away through the wooden structural support system of the house.
Things the Inspector Will Check During a Pest Inspection
A pest inspection is necessary to eliminate the possibility of these bugs causing any damage in the future. A pest inspector will carry a moisture meter, thermal imaging camera, torch, ladder, binoculars, knife, magnifying glass, long handle probe to check the house. Though all companies are different, here’s a general overview at what an inspector looks for during a pest inspection.
- Signs of wood rot, damaged wood, moist wood
- Bubbling and buckled paint
- Piles of wings
- Mud tubes
- These are termite tunnels to get access to food
- Animal fecal droppings
- Gnawed wiring
A Real Estate Home Inspection Will Help You Close the Sale Faster
When you are closing a home, a routine real estate home inspection is important before you make the final sale. A pest inspector will evaluate each room in the house, the roof, the fences in the garden, outbuildings (like sheds and stumps) to check for a pest infestation in your house.
Having a readymade pest inspection report before making the final house sale will give you an edge in the competitive real estate sales market, and will give the potential buyers peace of mind.
