Whether you are looking to sell your home, or hunting for one on the market, pest control should be one of your top priorities on your checklist. Bed bugs, spiders, ants and termites are common pests that lower the value of your home, and are difficult to get rid of, but easy to prevent. To keep your property values high, and to ensure that you can sell your home quickly if you need to, follow these tips to prevent a pest infestation.
First, clear any brush away from your home. Decorative bushes and plants are fine, but a lot of vegetation at the foundation of your home attracts all kinds of pests to make themselves at home. When the pests come to live in your vegetation, its an easy trip for them to come in the door and through the cracks and crevices.
Similarly, keep your landscape clean and free of clutter. If you have a wood pile, set it back from your home. Do not leave clutter lying next to your foundation. Like the vegetation, it offers the pests cover and shelter, and it also invites them into your home.
Seal the crevices and cracks in your home with silicone caulk. Silicone caulk is easily available at any home improvement store, and it is simple to use. Simply inject the caulk into the crack and clean up any spills before the caulk cures. This blocks a lot of major entrances for the pests that want to come inside.
Keep food sealed and covered. Pests that are attracted to your food supply range from cockroaches to moths, and once they come in, they can be hard to get out. Inspect your long-term food storage areas regularly for signs of insects, and if you notice an infestation, get rid of the food supply immediately and clean the area.
Work to keep your home dry. Dampness, especially in areas that are lined with wood, encourage wood rot, which in turn encourages termites. Termites chew rotted wood to build their homes, creating vast structural damage over time.
Finally, simply stay vigilant. Pest infestations take time to grow, and if you notice the problem sooner rather than later, you will have a much better chance of fixing it. If you must get rid of a pest, take an example of the pest to a home gardening center or your local university’s horticultural department and ask for advice on how to proceed.
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This article was contributed by Coldwell Banker Valley Brokers, offering homes for sale in Corvallis Oregon.
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