Selling your New York property is often a stressful situation, and the last thing you need is a pest problem messing up your sale. To help prevent this, we've put together our top tips for pest-proofing a property before selling.

Pests can cause structural damage to properties; they will chew their way through walls, skirting boards and support beams - even gnawing on electrical wires! If potential buyers come to view your property and see holes and bite marks all over the place, it's highly unlikely they will place an offer. 

Property surveys will also pick up on the damage, meaning you could be in for some expensive repair jobs before you can even place the property on the market. 

If the damage to your property is minor, you could maybe get away with it, but, even then, pests always leave signs of their presence wherever they go. For example, imagine having prospective buyers over to look at your apartment, and they find rodent droppings or pick up on the foul stench of urine caused by pests.

Not only do they cause damage to the building and leave evidence all around, but pests (mainly rodents) are known carriers of bacteria and disease.

Coming into contact with pests, breathing in air contaminated by their excrement, and consuming food or drink infected by them places you at risk of potentially life-threatening diseases. Bringing realtors and visitors into your property means they, too, are at risk of such illnesses.

It's clear to see; pest-proofing is an essential procedure that will prevent damage to your home, keep your loved ones and visitors safe, and ensure a smooth selling process. 

So, here are our top tips for how to successfully pest-proof your property:

Seal Potential Entry Points

The first thing you should do to prevent pests in your home is to seal up all potential entry points - therefore denying them access to your property in the first place.

Rodents and insects can enter your property by the tiniest of holes. Thus, we suggest taking a good look around both the interior and exterior of the property for any such spots.

Once you've identified the access points, you need to seal them up. It's important to remember that rodents can chew through most materials, so we recommend using metal-based sealants and proofing measures to ensure your efforts last.

You can purchase these pest-proofing measures from 1env.com, a licensed and professional pest control supplier who ship worldwide.

Keep Your Property Clean

While it's a common misconception that pests are drawn to dirty properties, they are attracted to food.

When you make a meal, make sure you sweep up the crumbs from the floor and store your food away correctly - don't leave it out in the open where pests could easily access it.

Regular hoovering also helps prevent insect pests like carpet moths, bed bugs, and fleas, so make sure you invest in a decent hoover and pay close attention to your soft furnishings.

Ventilation

High levels of moisture in the air is not only bad for the property and your health, but it can also increase your chances of suffering from an insect control problem. 

Insect pests, like bed bugs and fleas, look for warm, humid locations to lay their eggs as it speeds up the gestation process.

Make sure to open your windows to get the air circulating regularly. If your property is particularly humid, you could invest in a dehumidifier. This will also help prevent damage to the property from mould and damp developing in your structure.

Garbage Maintenance

Guilty of letting your trash build up before taking it out? You may as well open the door and invite the rodents inside! 

Rodents enter properties looking for food, and leaving heaps of garbage all over the place provides them with an easy food source made up of leftovers, food packaging etc.

Make sure you regularly dispose of your trash and clean up your storage areas to prevent pests.

Drains

An often overlooked area of the home, your drains may be full of leftover, rotting food or hair, both of which are food sources for several different pests. 

Give your kitchen and bathroom drains a good clear out and maintain them regularly to deter any build-up. Not only will it help to prevent pests, but it will make your property smell great - perfect for those open houses.

Try out these tips in your New York property today to keep the pests away for good whilst getting your home in excellent condition for potential buyers - win-win