Selling A House With Bed Bugs

Published on April 3rd, 2023

Bed bugs - something no one wants to hear before entering a home. A bed bug infestation is often associated with hotel stays and short-term rentals, but these nasty little creatures can make their way into your home, with 91% of bed bug infestations being treated by exterminators in single-family homes. 

Selling a home with a bed bug problem isn't impossible! With full disclosure to potential buyers and a solid plan of action, you will be able to sell your house. Throughout this article, we will discuss various treatments for bed bug problems, what a pest control company can do, and five different ways you can sell your home with bed bugs successfully.

Selling To A Real Estate Investor That Specializes In Selling Homes With Bed Bugs

An infestation of bed bugs can happen at any time. Bed bugs can live on furniture, luggage, purses, or backpacks and be brought into the home by anyone.

Adult bed bugs then lay their larvae in furniture such as your couch, mattresses, or upholstered chairs. You start to notice when you have little itchy bites all over your body. Sounds awful, right?

This situation can cause not only emotional distress but financial distress as well. Trying to rid your home of bed bugs costs a lot of money, and many buyers won't be interested in purchasing a home with this type of material defect or until the situation is fixed properly.

Selling an infested home to a real estate investor might be a good option if you don't have the time or money to deal with this issue. Real estate investors buy houses that are in distress of some sort and repair them to their former glory to keep them in their portfolio as a rental home.

Investors will also offer you a fair cash offer for your home before having the house treated by professionals and making any other needed repairs.

Selling Through A Real Estate Agent On The MLS

Most states have a disclosure statement that needs to be honored throughout a real estate transaction. Disclosure laws make it so that you, as the seller, would have to disclose the presence of bed bugs to a potential buyer during the selling process.

Material defects, like a bed bug infestation, will affect your property's value if left unchanged. When dealing with an infestation prior to a sale, it is important to select the right course of action and treatment as soon as possible to avoid further damage and move on with selling your home as soon as possible. Some common methods for removing bed bugs from a house include:

• A heat treatment - When treating your home, also remember to treat all your clothes.
• A cold treatment.
• Steam cleaners, wet or dry that can get into cracks and fabrics to treat bed frames and other furniture.
• Pay money to hire an exterminator.
• Check anywhere a bed bug might be hiding - like picture frames or electrical outlets.



When in doubt, consult with local real estate agents to see what they might recommend or ask for a free consultation with a local pest control company.

Selling a house with bed bugs directly to a private home buyer is another option you as a seller have. Selling any property to a private home buyer, especially one with a defect like bed bugs, should be done with proper legal steps.

Speaking with a lawyer who can provide legal advice surrounding disclosure laws, state laws around bed bugs, and what might be a fair offer for your property. Sellers are wise to follow the advice of their lawyer on how to proceed when selling to a private home buyer so that they are not left responsible for any damages to the home after purchase, such as wall damage or other pest issues like termite damage.

Selling A House With Bed Bugs At An Auction

Selling a property with bed bugs at an auction is another alternative for sellers to consider. Contrary to popular belief, selling a house at auction does not mean you have fallen on hard financial times or other woes. 

You might even be able to get more money for your home at an auction than you would if you were to put it on the traditional market, depending on location, the extent of damage, and the level of pests involved in the infestation. 

Getting rid of pests prior to an auction isn't always possible, so if that's the situation you find yourself in, be sure to disclose any information about the infestation and damages to the walls or property in general. Be sure to remove any soiled or infested bedding, furniture, and pictureframes before the auction.

For a chance at a successful auction, follow these tips:



• Hire a professional auctioneer
• Ask how the auctioneer gets paid
• Choose between an absolute auction or an auction with a reserve.
• Find out how the bidders will be qualified
• Determine how you will accept bids
• Proper marketing of your home prior to the auction.

Selling To A Local Home Buying Company Ready To Do A Bed Bug Treatment

Local home buying companies but properties with bugs and other damage are willing and ready to deal with a bed bug infestation. 

Call around to various local companies and see which one might be best equipped to purchase your home.

If you are thinking about selling your home, but are worried about its condition, check out our other blogs.