Well, one of the more interesting negotiations we have conducted concluded today. I must warn you that this isn't pretty or for the faint of heart, so feel free not to read this post if you are squeemish in any way!
On a home we sold, the inspection report came back that there was some sort of animal droppings in the attic as well as four xerox box lids with a white powdery substance and it was suggested that it be further investigated. I received a call from the buyer's agent who reported this item and wanted me to speak to the owner to find out what they knew about it. The owner responded that the powder was simply baking soda that he had put in the attic to keep it "dry and fresh" and the droppings were undoubtedly from birds that had gained access through a hole in the sceen covering the end vent and that he had gotten them out and fixed the hole. This sounded reasonable to me until......
I called the buyer's agent to report what I had been told and was greeted with silence. After several seconds, she informed me that it was not bird droppings, it was more like rodent droppings and it was not a small amount, it covered an area at either end of the attic in a path 15 feet long, by three feet wide and was several inches deep and would forward me pictures. She did forward the pictures and decorum dictates that I not publish these pictures here, they're pretty disturbing! I immediately called a pest company that we trust and his immediate answer was BATS! He would go there that day and report back to me.
His report was exactly as he expected, it was bat droppings and there was either a gigantic colony or bats, or more likely, a colony that returned each year over the years and grew in numbers. Ok, so now what? The answer was somewhat surprising. I did not know that bats migrate in the winter for one thing and unlike migratory birds, not ALL bats migrated, some just "wintered" down in the walls. Great! How will we know and what do we do now?
Of course the guano (how the bat droppings are described) is actually a biohazard and the company that cleans up the mess must be appropriately garbed. They inspect as best they can down through the rafters and between studs, they remove insulation and basically try to find any of these guys who have decided to winter there. If they find none, they seal every little nook and cranny (it takes an opening of less than 1" for the bats to find their way in). They fumigate, they disinfect, and whatever else they need to do. They also come back in May when the "flock" or whatever it is you call a whole bunch of bats comes back to be sure they can't get in again, or if they missed any that might be sealed in!
The inspector who went in for us does not do this work himself and recommended a wildlife exterminator who is very professional and very reasonable. Of course we called him also, he went to inspect, and basically reported the same thing. The real surprise came with his price of $625! I was floored, I truly expected more in the range of $2,000 or more. So, we're on for this friday, but I still needed to deal with the buyer's agent.
My call basically started with one of those "good news/bad news" things. The good news was that there were no rats as the prospective buyer feared, and of course, the bad news was the truth. To my amazement, the agent seemed relieved and didn't believe that would be a problem for the buyers, she would get back to us with the home inspection response.
So, the outcome of this was that the buyers are satisfied with the deal as long as we have a licensed company clean and seal the premises as stated. The seller was so relieved that he couldn't thank us enough for our help in resolving this so quickly, so inexpensively, and so positively for him!
By the way, although this is an older house, built in the '50s, it has been completely renovated and is truly a lovely home! Not all buyers would react the same way of course, I don't know how I would have reacted on a purchase. All's well that ends well I guess, but talk about a curveball!
So, I hope you have found this little missive informative if not slightly amusing. I've been too busy this week to write much, but I do promise to follow up with some other home inspection items tomorrow that you might also find quite interesting. It sure has been an unusual week - we are still negotiating the home inspections on two other sales and have just written contracts on two additional purchases. The news may still be quite gloomy but the market has been very brisk for us this month!
As always, BE INFORMED and CHECK BACK HERE OFTEN.... I promise to be more diligent in my writing
Happy Valentine's Day!
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