An Idaho home that has been infested with thousands of snakes for at least five years has been put up for sale for $66,000 less than its estimated market value after the recent owners gave up and walked away. The five-bedroom home in Rexburg, Idaho was taken over last year by the lender, Chase Bank, after the owners left and let it lapse into foreclosure because of the serpents slithering around in the ceilings and walls. The residents are believed to be common garter snakes, a type found throughout the United States. They are not poisonous and are harmless to humans.
"It's not a problem; it's an infestation," said Todd Davis, associate broker with Realty Quest in Rexburg, who is trying to sell the home. "It's been a horrible experience." With snake numbers estimated by a pest inspector to be in the thousands, Davis said selling the house for $109,000 -- which compares to an estimated value of $175,000 -- is likely to be an uphill battle.
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Garter snakes, which can grow to be up to 3 feet in length, frequently take up residence in lawns and gardens and are prized by gardeners for feeding on pests like slugs. They are not poisonous pose no threat to people. Collins said it is likely that the house was built on a snake den site. "Snakes have a great deal of fidelity to the den site. They're born near there and the animals return each fall to den up and avoid the cold," said Collins, co-author of the Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America.
Garters leave pheromone trails that scent the way to a den. Once a whiff of the site has snaked through the garter community, snakes from outlying areas are likely to target the area. "People always build first and never ask about an area and whether there is a snake den before they do," said Collins. "Afterward, it's too late: the house is there, the snakes are there and people are there. It's a great set up for a wonderful time." The snakes are not likely to relocate, voluntarily or otherwise.
3 comments:
Just buy a mongoose?
I guess they've had it with those mother*&"n snakes in their mother!"£$ house. -Oh wait, that's not how it goes.
I had a garter snake as a pet, not sure I'd want thousands of them though.
This might be hard to sell the place if there are snakes living in there.
Deirdre G
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