This is the second in a series about Bed Bugs... There is a Central Ohio Bed Bug Task Force which says to "realtors"
"the responsibility of discovering bed bug infestations is in your court"
Multiple Choice Quiz : Do you think the Columbus Board of REALTORS® PURCHASE CONTRACT bed bug contingency* says:
A. This purchase is contingent on the home being bed bug free
Or
B. The bed bugs are the personal property of the seller. As such the seller will move the bed bugs along with the rest of their personal property.
Or
C. The seller must provide the buyer with a Bed Bug FREE certificate.
Your answer?
BUZZ
Sorry the correct answer is
D. None of the above.
I did not include that did I?
Sorry.
The Columbus Board of REALTORS® purchase contract does NOT have a bed bug contingency. Why would it? Nor does the Columbus Board of Realtors contract have a contingency for
- skunks in crawl spaces
- bats in attics
- hornets in eaves
- racoon's nests in chimneys
The point of poking around your future home with the home inspector is to begin your life in your new home without pests.
The purchase contract we use in Central Ohio does not refer to semi common pests like termites, carpenter ants etc. (wood destroying insects) either. Your home inspector may find evidence of these or other pests and tell you to do further tests and inspections. Or the home inspector may find concrete evidence of a presence of a pest.
You can do a bed bug inspection of a property if you want to, I guess. I have never heard of bed bug inspection being done...
The part of the purchase contract that allows you as a home buyer to have an inspection to see if there are bed bugs, is the same part of the contract that would allow you to have inspections and tests for things seen and unseen... that would affect your enjoyment of your new home.
Columbus Board of REALTORS® PURCHASE CONTRACT Inspection Clause
Now I am not an attorney and don't play one on this site or TV. Nor do I play a home inspector... but I do believe from what I've heard and read, Choice B, in the multiple choice above, is somewhat right.
B. The bed bugs are the personal property of the seller. As such the seller will move the bed bugs along with the rest of their personal property.
The seller is removing the beds and upholstered furniture from the home per the contract....if there were ever any bed bugs, they were in the upholstered furniture... that's how they got their name.
First time buyers don't worry skunks in crawl spaces, bats in attics, hornets in eaves and raccoons in chimneys are very, very, very rare too. Not as rare but rare....
This is part of a Four Part Series on Bed Bugs in Central Ohio:
Central Ohio bed bugs recommendations to REALTORS® posted earlier today
*This is being posted early and two words are being edited into the original post. "Purchase Contract", words were EDITED from the intended title of the post as well.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This post provided by Maureen McCabe of Real Living HER
Contact 614.388.8249
Website: MaureenMcCabe.com
Search Central Ohio homes Online
email: MaureenatMaureenMcCabe.com @
Information is deemed to be accurate but should be verified to your satisfaction. Information provided herein is supplied by several sources and is subject to change without notice. Opinions expressed are solely those of Maureen McCabe.
Non Member comments closed due to heavy spam!
Maureen, Good topic for a series. A couple of years ago a seller called me and told me he had a bed bug problem. I didn't want to go the apartment ever. I was afraid I would get them. I referred the seller to another agent in my office. Now I'm really paranoid. They're every where.
I read about them here but I don't think they are everywhere. Yes they happen in single family homes but not as easy, I figured out what the map on the Central Ohio Bed Bug Task Force means. Duh.
Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite.
Maureen, I can think of a number of contingencies to add to your list, but all of them are covered by inspections. I guess the list would be "and Everything we inspect for".
Maureen, this was really funny because it seems that bed bugs have been on the national news lately. Now you've gotten me curious and I want to read more about this. :)
Jack Our contracts inspection clause is great... I think. I sometimes use poltergeists as an example, when explaining that clause to buyers.
Connie the NYT article in the post from the Coldwell Banker agent in Virginia...is so good. AR member I can not think of his name, but I remember VA and Coldwell Banker. He had some good links or those links lead to other links. Great post... I guess a local hotel was in the news for bed bugs recently.
Hi Maureen ~ Ha!! I had forgotten the bed bug rhyme this week with all the brouhaha until reading it here - even though I've recited it many a time. It's amazing how people can so easily be whipped into a frenzy about just about anything.
Liz
I missed Liz's comment. Sorry.
The pest treatment companies are loving this. I believe a single family home is the best defense against them personally.