Mice in the attic

[Bill Gosch]

Hello fellow inspectors, i've been reading but never posted.
I just recently done a inspection where the client has a 12 year old child with athsma and severe allergies to mice and rat droppings. I found sticky traps in the attic along with variable chuncks of the green rodent poison, I reported that these were present and that the high freqeuncy plug-in devises to distract the rodents were plugged in every room of the home, I found no droppings during the inspection. I suggeted getting a professional exerminator to look over the situation. The client decided not buy the home. My problem the agent is trashing my inpection and stated that my discovery of the mouse traps and poison was not as bad as reported. He might tink I planted them in the attic? This is a first for me, any suggestions on how to confront this agent on a very professional level or should I let it ride.

[Rick Hurst]

Anytime you find those large green blocks or any rat poison tossed as such in an attic, I would suggest you let your client know.

Most to the manufactures of such bait require them to be in tamper proof boxes. Rodents are known to actually move these blocks around and I have actually found where they have gnawed through a ceiling in a childs room and dropped them in so they became accessible to a child.

Glue boards are mostly used for monitoring purposes. If no droppings were found on the glue boards, then the mice problem is probably not severe.

Those electronic devices are usually scams and don't work. I bought one when they first came out only to destroy the thing to find out what was inside. Nothing was there but low voltage wiring to the red pulsating light. Thats not going to scare off the mice.

If the kiddo is that allergic to everything, his parents might consider putting him in a bubble.

To not buy a home because some droppings may be present is ridiculous.
They could have you go inspect another home and you not find one turd, they buy it, and here moves in a infestation of mice the next week. What then? Are they going to sell it then? Probably not.

rick

[wayne soper]

There's more brokers where that one came from.

[Raymond Wand]

Simply, the correction is to find and seal all holes where mice can enter. They will get in through the smallest of holes.

Personally speaking I have found stuffing the holes with steel wool and caulking very effective.

Stop the mice from entry and you will not need an exterminator leaving bait around which causes the mice to retreat back into the walls, attic, an other hidden areas to die and stink as they decompose.

[Ron Bibler]

I had and agent call me up because I noted water stains with some minor delamination of the base boards. But I could not find any water source.
2 days later the buyer back out of the Home this agent went off on me. Then a week later Im inspecting a new home for that same buyer. WHY she did not buy the last house was that seller had Cats.
and thats where the water source was from.

Now I don't known why I told you all this. But that agent needs to get a life. BUYERS COME AND BUYERS GO.

You did the right thing!

Best

Ron

[Gunnar Alquist]

Hello fellow inspectors, i've been reading but never posted.
I just recently done a inspection where the client has a 12 year old child with athsma and severe allergies to mice and rat droppings. I found sticky traps in the attic along with variable chuncks of the green rodent poison, I reported that these were present and that the high freqeuncy plug-in devises to distract the rodents were plugged in every room of the home, I found no droppings during the inspection. I suggeted getting a professional exerminator to look over the situation. The client decided not buy the home. My problem the agent is trashing my inpection and stated that my discovery of the mouse traps and poison was not as bad as reported. He might tink I planted them in the attic? This is a first for me, any suggestions on how to confront this agent on a very professional level or should I let it ride.

Bill,

There is no way for you to know what will cause someone to terminate a purchase. To my way of thinking, the agent should be grateful that their client did not end up in a rodent infested home (you can bet that he would want to know about rodents) and a potential health hazard for the child. The decision was the buyer's. You are just the scapegoat. It is something that you will have to get used to in this business.

[bruce m graham III]

Whats he talking about?

[Mitchell Captain]

[QUOTE=Bill Gosch;55128This is a first for me, any suggestions on how to confront this agent on a very professional level or should I let it ride.[/QUOTE]

Tell the agent that you are sorry and that will never happen again.


mlc

[Jerry Peck]

any suggestions on how to confront this agent on a very professional level or should I let it ride.

I've been told that a 44 magnum does wonders to agents like that ... not that I am recommending that or anything ... :)

... but you've got to get them before they get back in their snake hole. ;)

[Richard Stanley]

"Tell the agent that you are sorry and that will never happen again."

Priceless.

[Jim Luttrall]

Just in case you did not see what was hiding in the shadows in Bruce's photo.

[Raymond Wand]

I am a realestate agent and I am also knowledgeable about home inspections - I know just enough to be an instant expert on the subject. :D

[bruce m graham III]

thanks Jim, those guys would not move, very bold