There’s no doubt about it. Preventing mice from entering your home is much easier than evicting them once they’ve moved in. If you take just a few simple precautions, you can avoid the trip to the store to buy traps or the call to the exterminator.

Here’s what the experts recommend:

• Install mouse-mesh in the drainage slots of exterior brick or siding. There are many types available on the market. (Note: make sure you don’t block water drainage!)

• Trim back tree branches that are within two feet of the siding or roof. Mice can jump horizontally as far as 15 inches.

• Make sure weather-stripping on doors and windows seal tightly. Mice can easily squeeze through weak spots and gaps, especially where stripping meets at a corner.

• Don’t leave open packages of any type of food — birdseed, apples, etc. — in the garage. That’s like telling the mice, “The buffet’s open!”

• Inspect the outside of your home and look for evidence of mice near walls, doors and windows. Look for mice droppings, which look like black rice.

• If you see a mouse outside your home, don’t shoo it away. Instead, watch where it goes. The mouse might show you how it’s getting in.

Taking these precautions will significantly reduce the chances of mice becoming unwanted guests in your home. 

If you decide you need the help of a professional exterminator, contact me and I'll put you in touch with one of my trusted professionals!

Is there a neighbourhood you drive through occasionally and think, “Wow. I’d love to live here. What a fantastic area”?

Why don’t you take that thought any further? Maybe you think getting into that neighbourhood just isn’t doable – at least, not right now.

Perhaps you’re worried about the home prices or the current lack of homes for sale in that area. Maybe there’s some other reason, such as the possibility of higher mortgage payments.

Of course, those are all valid concerns. But why not find out whether or not they would genuinely hold you back?

For example, if you’re wondering whether you can afford a home in that neighbourhood, you can find that out with a reasonable degree of certainty. You can:

• Get a current market value assessment so you know, approximately, what you’d likely get for your home.

• Find out the average selling price of homes in the target neighbourhood.

• Calculate what you’d be able to put down on a new home.

• Find out how much mortgage you’ll need and what your payments would be.

Once you’ve taken a closer look at the actual numbers, you might discover that a nice home in your desired neighbourhood is within reach.

So, get the facts you need instead of assuming you can’t get into the neighbourhood you want.

The fact might be, you can! Contact me today if you’d like to explore that possibility. I can help you get the facts you need.