The Disadvantages of DIY – 7 Benefits of Utilising A Qualified Pest Inspector
DIY is great for many reasons, namely because whatever it is, it allows you to do it yourself.
Many people think it’s a great way to save money, and indeed when you’re building a hardwood table with your own two hands, you could save thousands while avoiding buying one. DIY has a shortcoming, however, and that’s that people don’t always know the best or safest way to “do it themselves”.
For instance, a pest inspection in Melbourne might be in order when buying a new house, but due to a lack of laws relating to the need for a qualified pest inspector, any person can perform a pest inspection. This is a big enough issue for homeowners and potential home buyers that we’ve put together a list of the 7 benefits of using a qualified pest inspector.
Safety
First off we have the safety aspect of a DIY inspector. If I asked you to look for every kind of pest and any indication of any pest at all in a house, would you know what to look for? Would you know the signs of life in the roof or the walls? Do you know how to identify termites, rats, bats, mice, cockroaches, ants, or wasps, potentially without seeing any of them directly?
If you found any one of these, how would you proceed to safely remove these pests?
Accidental poisonings can occur if people aren’t careful with pest-related chemicals, so it’s best to leave it to the professionals.
Knowledge
Knowing where and how to look for these creatures is half the battle, and for a professional pest inspector, it’s usually as easy as night and day. Where you or I could be unsure about what signifies what when it comes to looking for the telltale signs, an inspector knows beyond a shadow of a doubt what they’re looking at.
Assurances
Professional, qualified inspectors come with certain assurances, such as finding everything that might be wrong with a building you’re looking at buying. Instead of spending days or weeks learning how to find termites only to miss the ant infestation you have, inspectors will see the signs of ants, clear the building of any termite suspicion, then turn their attention to the ant problem.
Insurances
An obvious benefit to the use of a professional is the insurance policies his or her company will hold, and how they relate to you. Both the inspector and you are protected by laws that can help to do away with any nastiness from the people you could be buying a house from, and if an inexperienced or otherwise incorrect inspection takes place that later proves to be wrong, you will still be covered.
Experience
When it comes to knowing your enemy, a pest inspector has usually seen the worst of what any given infestation looks like and can give you an honest appraisal of your situation. If you see ants in a few rooms you could just assume that you have a minor issue, whereas a person with experience and knowledge will know that these are scouting parties for the large nests under your future home, and warn you thusly.
Cost
We will immediately point out that checking for all sorts of nasties yourself is cheaper than hiring a professional, but what you have to consider is the cost later on. Imagine checking yourself, then buying a $500,000 home only to move in and discover the whole framework is rotten with termites.
Your house then has to be pulled down and rebuilt, and because you signed over the contract, you have to eat that cost. A professional will find the termites and save you from spending half a million dollars on what will become an empty lot.
Assessment
Finally, there is the added benefit of a fully trained pest inspector being able to identify building defects as well, such as water damage or roof tile damage. This is a great idea, because while your house may not have creepy crawlies all through it, a hole in the roof won’t help the resale value.
It will cost a bit more money than you’d otherwise spend, but getting a professional in to check your house before buying is worth the money spent, and whatever you do, don’t do it yourself.
DIY is always best and the things you have mentioned will compliment the efforts. Taking care of a few little things is always best.
Great post and knowing I am hiring one soon because of seeing spiders in a very old home I bought that was 80% gutted and over 150 years old.
We have been lucky never to have needed a professional at this house. For other things yes. A flood, two electrical fires, and a tree falling on the roof… you name it. But, no pests. LOL!