Archive for February, 2009

7 Steps to Take Straight Away if Your Home is invaded by Pests/Rodents/ Termites

If you have normal occurrences of bug sightings or rodent droppings, you may actually have a bigger pest problem than you are aware of, since many more may not be seen. Termites attack 1 out of 5 homes in Sydney and they are becoming increasingly wider spread.  Not only can pests, rodents and termites cause damage to your home, they can also spread disease and illnesses.

The first step to take if you feel your home is being invaded is to make a close inspection of the inside and outside of your home.  Look for cluttered storage areas, food and water sources, overflowing garbage and leaking taps.  Most pests are searching for food, water and shelter, and once they have found a reliable source, they will settle in and multiply.  Because Sydney and Australia have many termite-prone areas, it may be necessary to have a building inspection done by a professional to determine if invasion exists.

Secondly, eliminate obvious reasons you have pests or rodents. Preventive measures can be taken, such as keeping clutter and garbage to a minimum.  For termites, do not stack items against your house, especially wood. Cockroaches often lay their eggs on grocery bags or in cardboard, so throw these items away as soon as possible after returning from the store.

The third step is to properly identify your pest problem because treatment can depend on the type of bug, cockroach, termites, ants or rodents that are the cause.  Save a specimen, in the event you need to call in a professional pest control service. If you have termites, you may need to have a termite inspection done by a professional to determine the amount of damage and treatment options.

The fourth step is to do an analysis of how the pests are gaining access to your home, food and water.  If you find an access hole, cracks or gaps around plumbing pipes, those need to be sealed to stop the invasion. Termites typically move from the earth to wood that is in contact with the ground.

Fifth, look at the treatment options for the type of pest you have.  Some bait traps may work for rodents, or home pest control chemicals and sprays may reduce the problem.  Eggs may hatch at later intervals, so it is often a process that may require more than one treatment. Many people will choose professionals for this process, to quickly eliminate the issue.

The sixth step will be monitoring the treatment, since eggs may continue to hatch, or baby rodents may leave the nest.  It is important to make sure there is effective treatment to prevent re-infestation.

Lastly, make sure you keep any documents and recommendations of the treatment.  If you have a termite inspection and treatment done by a professional service, you could need these guarantees and assessments if you decide to sell your home. The important thing is to call in a professional if other treatments are not working, as the problem will get continually worse.  In the case of termites, professional treatment will be necessary, and it is better to have inspections and treatments done, sooner than later.

If you’re concerned about any common pests and need some help exterminating them, you can contact Pink Pest Services for assistance with professional pest control in Sydney or call 02 9529 5222 for immediate assistance.

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Does Your Prospective Home Have Building Defects? 90% Do.

It may not show up right away. It may be obvious to anyone. But if you don’t rule it out, chances are very good it will ruin your perfect new home, whether it’s brand new, a gently-lived-in home, or a real fixer-upper. Building defects go far beyond poorly-placed glass in windows and bad spackling.

Case 1: A family man trusts the wrong homebuilder, a family friend, and buys the new home his wife fell in love with. For six years, well past the deadline for local lemon laws, the home has no problems. Then the city builds a bypass, and the next rain reveals the flaws: poor drainage causes a basement flood in the poorly-sealed walk-out basement, not of water but of gooey mud, four feet high. A drainage culvert to the side of the house collapses in the washout, and parts of the lawn also become treacherous to walk over or mow. At the bottom of the sloping yard, what was once lush grass becomes a marsh, ruining the established vegetable garden.

This catastrophic pair of defects – a poorly-sealed basement and bad drainage in the home’s lot and lee area – took a quarter-million dollar home’s value down by about a third, after the cleanup. Though some of the problems have been addressed, the home has seen subsequent floods over the last decade, and the walk-out basement is now more an average storage basement, eliminating nearly half the home’s living space. Worse, many of the family heirlooms and keepsakes have been destroyed in the floods, irreplaceable treasures.

Need another example?

Case 2: A man buys a home, handyman’s special. He knows a bit about home structure, having worked several summers in construction, and he likes building and renovating. The flaws he sees – a roof cant indicating some leak problems, paint (of course), and broken bricks around the bottom of the home look like things he can work with. After signing his contract, he finds the real problem with the home: a cracked foundation caused by poor settling. The south end of the home is settling more than the north end, and though jacks have helped hide the problem and level out the floors, there is no repairing it himself. To fix the problem will cost him more than he paid for this unique fixer-upper opportunity.

These and hundreds of other hidden problems may exist in that lovely home you’ve been considering, new or old. Even if you know about homes, even if your best friend is the builder, there is always the possibility that any home has serious building flaws.

As many as 90% of homes have flaws serious enough, in the long run, to cost you tens of thousands in repairs or renovations. A smaller, but significant, minority of these homes have flaws severe enough to make it cheaper to tear down and rebuild the home.

Before you purchase a home, always hire a building inspector. These professionals have worked for decades in construction, and have seen it all; they also know where to go to check credentials on land quality, future zoning issues, and the home’s history. Building inspectors know who to trust and who to avoid as well, and know what corners the shadier contractors cut – corners that might surprise you.

Before you buy, get an independent building inspection. It could be the best money you spend in the complex transaction to get your new home.

For more information or to arrange an inspection contact Pink Inspections on (02) 9529 5222 or contact us online.

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