Rehab 4470 - Inspections Completed With A Furry Problem

We are currently planning our next rehab in a nearby community and will close on the property in about 4 weeks.   The house is in a community with low turnover and a short drive for us (ideal and saves a lot of time).  The home was built in the early nineties and has had a single owner who maintained the property well but did not perform any updating.   The home has the original roof which is in good shape.  The air conditioner compressor and air handler have been replaced within the past few years as had the water heater.  We have always bought real estate "as is" with the right to inspect and this week we completed the inspection process using a certified home inspector.  We also decided to have a termite inspection since it was only $35.

The inspection was performed by Claude McGavic of Home Check.  Fortunately the inspection did not find any surprises and he confirmed most of what I knew during his debrief after the inspection.  Claude as always gave up some great tips on cleaning the sliding glass door tracks (wire brush and steel wool, no oil) and determining if a sink leaks (stopper it, fill it completely, drain and watch the pipes).   His report was received the next day and will become a punch list of minor fixes.

The inspection by Jonathan of Hughes Exterminators was a different story.  Although there was no evidence of termites the inspector found evidence of "RATS" in the attic! yuck!  The termite guy went as far as to say "I see this all the time" and "I can fix this problem for $500".   The news brought memories when years ago we bought a small frame house in the Ballard Park area that the City of Bradenton Downtown Development Authority was focusing on improving.  That house had rats but it was not surprising as it was 80+ years old.  The rats were climbing through the crawl space, into the walls, and eventually into the attic where they had a nice size nest.   The renters were not real happy to be hearing all the activity at night and of course we had them exterminated.  However it took a while to find all the entry points and close them off.

That's what is surprising to us with this house.  It's in great shape and made of cement block.  Apparently the rats are climbing up the nearby trees, crossing the roof, and entering the attic where two areas of the roof line converge.  Apparently the builder did not seal up those areas well.

Good news.  The seller agreed to have the entry points sealed and the rats removed before closing (saving us the time and cost).   That's a pretty good return on the $35 investment.  I'm not sure about the rat droppings the inspector noticed in the attic - guess the shop vac will take care of that.   The last thing we need is to turn off the future buyer when they have their inspection.   A day after the inspection we got a video link from our real estate agent... he has a sense of humor, watch it to the end, its a hoot!

Mouse vs. Mouse Trap

Happy rehabbing and your comments are appreciated.