« Live From Bloggers Connect | Home | Finding Us at Real Estate Connect »

Aug

1

Attack of the Creepy Crawlies

By: Leslie Pandey, Senior Content Writer/Editor | August 1, 2007 |

Today’s Wiki Wednesday Feature: Bugs Be Gone

It’s summertime. And for most people, that means backyard barbecues, family vacations, and just plain enjoying the sunshine. (Here in Seattle, it’s finally starting to look like summer.) But what else does it mean? Bugs. (Cue the scary music and bloodcurdling scream.) Yep, summer means lots of creepy creatures climbing out of the woodwork — and into your termite.pnghouse. Just yesterday, I escorted a gargantuan spider out of my kitchen. Man, those suckers move fast!

In my daily cruise through the Real Estate Guide, I came across Bugs Be Gone, a helpful little article created by the folks at Quicken Loans. The article outlines a number of ways for you to keep these unwelcome guests out of your house, including making sure you don’t have dirt or firewood piled against the siding of your house or fence (it’s heaven for termites) and keeping your food in sealed containers and your kitchen spotless (to keep ants out). The article also recommends repelling bees by ensuring that any wood on the exterior of your home is finished or painted. It’s a good reminder to keep up on those repairs that you’ve been meaning to get to. Otherwise, you could have a bigger problem on your hands — or more likely, many problems with many little legs.

Another truly icky issue that I keep seeing in the news is the current bedbug outbreak that’s sweeping the country. According to this San Francisco Chronicle article, there are bedbug outbreaks in all 50 states, and pest control companies nationwide reported a 71 percent increase in bedbug calls in recent years. These little buggers, which bite and suck the blood of unsuspecting victims as they sleep, are extremely difficult to exterminate once you have them. Yikes — don’t let those bedbugs bite!

Ed: Wiki Wednesdays is a weekly feature that highlights helpful or interesting articles from the Real Estate Guide.

Stumble it!

Topics: Wiki Wednesdays |

Enjoy this post? Subscribe to the Zillow Blog feed or get updates via e-mail

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner


Comments

7 Comments so far

  1. Max on August 2, 2007 7:59 am

    After waiting for zillow to correct the square footage on my home for 5 months they (zillow) didn’t re-evaluate my property value. Zillow is a pain in the you know what. With all their mis-information they might as well get a job for the Iraqis for ministers of Mis-information and falsehoods.

  2. David G from Zillow.com on August 2, 2007 8:47 am

    Max -

    Zestimate values are based on the public records we have for your home, not on owners facts though we are looking into that. Thank you for posting the correct sq.ft. — you could also post a revised estimate and publish it — to do so, click on “create an estimate” in the tools on the left of the home’s detail page.

  3. Penny Roskoski on August 2, 2007 3:11 pm

    I have TWO (2) posting of my house on zillow.com. I want only ONE (1), and I want to change the price.

    I cannot delete the second one. I cannot change the price on the first one.

    What good is this site if I cannot make these changes?

    My realtor is not very happy with you.

  4. DavidG on August 2, 2007 7:19 pm

    Penny -

    On your homes’ detail page next to the price you should see links to both edit your sale price and to change your for sale posting status when your home sells. Let me know if you can’t find those features and please reply with your address so that we can remove the duplicate.

  5. Landlord-Success.com on August 6, 2007 6:55 am

    …and now for a comment relevant to the post…

    I guess that in other parts of the country bugs are a seasonal thing. In Florida, it’s a way of life!

    It’s actually interesting, if you’re an Entomologist, but the bugs here all have their times of the year.

    Spiders, ants, lizards, roaches, moths & mosquitoes, just to name a few, seem to proliferate as soon as the temperature/humidity are just right.

  6. Carnival of Real Estate #53 - Zillow Blog - Real Estate News and Analysis on August 6, 2007 9:56 am

    [...] Landlord-Success.com: …and now for a comment relevant to the post… I guess… [...]

  7. An Original Article from BestHomeSellingTips.com Makes on Top 7 | Top Home Selling Tips to Help You Sell Your Home Fast and get the maximum of your money on August 10, 2007 7:09 am

    [...] 1- Howard Arnoff who wrote: Is your Listing Still Competing In A Changing Real Estate Market? 2- John L Wake from Phoenix who wrote: Landscape staging your home 3- Sondra Johnson from Columbus Real Estate Voice who wrote: Home Privacy- Personal Privacy- How to Get It 4- John Wen of Best Selling Home Tips who wrote Top ten Reasons Why a House Doesn’t Sell and Their Solutions. 5- Michael Cook of Bloodhound Blog: Can I Still Get a Mortgage in Today’s Lending Markets? With Cold Hard Cash and Great Credit, Certainly; Otherwise? 6- TeresaBoardman of St. Paul Real Estate Blog who wrote: Condo sellers - review rules and bylaws 7- And Finally my favorite but maybe not the most consumer oriented by Lesley Pandey of Zillow Blog: Attack Of The Creep Crawlies. [...]

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

Speak your mind