Pests That Put A Kink In Selling Your Home

While we all know that living in a home and finding mice, roaches, or ants is not fun, it's even worse when you're in the process of selling your home. Not only can these cause a scare factor for buyers who may be walking through and see something scuttling across the floor, but it generally affects their opinion of the home and it's quality before they ever get a chance to fall in love. At Gattermeir Davidson Real Estate, we want to help you sell a Lake of the Ozarks home quickly, and part of that involves ridding it of any pests who may have taken up dwelling in your home. Here are a few common ones to look for and how you can keep them at bay during selling and showing.


Common Pests You Could Find

Nobody likes to find creepy crawlies in their home, but sometimes it happens - especially if you've already moved into a new home and the home your selling is vacant. Here are a few different pests to be aware of as you start to sell your home:

Ants

These little critters love to live pretty much anywhere. They could be marching around your kitchen, or lining your back porch. No matter where they've decided to dwell, it's time to evict these unwanted tenants, and tell them to move along. First, you have to find the entry points and seal them with caulk. You can use natural repellants such as cinnamon, coffee grounds, garlic, chili pepper or peppermint by leaving a sprinkling where the ants enter, or you can also use poison found at local stores.

Cockroaches

These bugs can bring about quite the scare when you see them. Maybe it's their fast movement or just the fact that they are bacteria carrying little critters. Either way, they have to go when you are selling your home. Make sure that everything they eat is cleaned up, like food, paper, cardboard, and boxes. They hate boric acid, so you can line the perimeters of the rooms and existing cracks with that.

Bees & Wasps

If you want to send buyers running and screaming from your home, leaving a bee or wasp nest intact would be the way to do it. While bees are great in the garden for pollinating, they are not great hovering around the back door or creeping into the house through cracks and crevices. Fun fact: wasps are actually territorial and don't like to set up nests near another, so you can help deter them by hanging a "fake nest." Use an old uninhabited one to achieve this goal. Otherwise, you can always resort to sprays and extermination.

Birds

Birds are not pests, normally, but in some cases, they like to make their way into the rafters of a home and try to make nests. Before the nesting season, make sure that everything is sealed up tight to keep them from getting in. If you are having trouble getting rid of them after they've come in, we recommend calling the experts and getting assistance.

Rats & Mice

If there is any one pest that induces the most screams, it's going to be a rat or a mouse. Can you only imagine a buyer touring your home only to find a mouse run across the kitchen or a rat's nest in the closet? Not only are these creatures frightening, they also carry many diseases, so it's best to make sure they aren't playing the city mouse, and get them out of your home. You can utilize mouse traps, and exterminator, or sometimes even peppermint oil will deter them.

Spiders

Many homes have these eight-legged insects, especially if they are older. While there are many that aren't poisonous, they all can give the appearance of a run-down, haunted house - especially when you walk through a web. There are companies around the Lake who specialize in getting rid of spiders, and we would be glad to help you find the right one for your needs.

Termites

If you don't address the issue of these voracious eaters now, you'll have to soon. Most real estate agents suggest that you get a termite inspection when you buy a home, so you can be sure that your potential buyers will find out if you don't. Termites can be your worst nightmare, but there are things you can do to prevent them. Keep all wood piles away from the foundation of your home, and you can talk to an exterminator or pest control company to keep them at bay.

Best Real Estate Company at the Lake of the Ozarks

When you're ready to sell your home, we want to help make this a seamless process for you and your family. Not to mention fast and for the highest price! Are you looking for a team of real estate agents at the Lake of the Ozarks who can provide the best service? You've found them. We would be honored to talk with you about selling your home, and if necessary, help you make the appropriate steps to removing and pests that could be causing trouble in the selling process!




2011 REALTOR Salesperson of the Year
Missouri Association of Realtors

Gattermeir Davidson Real Estate, LLC
752 Bagnell Dam Blvd., Suite A
Lake Ozark, MO 65049

Office | 573.365.1555
Fax | 573.365.1766









Location: Lake Ozark, MO, USA

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