About the House - Home Inspections

Fairhope, Alabama

(251) 990-3169

Coyotes in the Attic

A Case Study in Disclosure

You never know how people are going to take the news of a home inspection. Sometimes folks surprise me. For example, several years ago I was inspecting a house in a rural section of Baldwin County. The buyer was with me and the inspection was going along well. We had finished with the house and it came time to inspect the barn.

The barn was partially finished with a guest suite on one side and regular barn stuff (hay bales, horse stalls, etc.) on the other. We noticed yellow stains on the sheetrock ceiling of the guest suite. It’s not uncommon to see ceiling stains, but yellow ones are a bit out of the ordinary. I scratched on and sniffed. The smell was familiar and I was unsure how to share it with my client. It smelled like “pee.” So, I said, “It smells like pee.” (I have a real way with words sometimes!) We agreed this was unusual and off I went to the attic to find the cause.

The attic was open on one end into the barn proper. I could easily climb into the attic on the hay bales stacked neatly against the wall. I carry a rechargeable flashlight. It was Friday. The battery was beginning to need a charge. But, I thought, it will be enough light for one last attic. As I moved from the hay bales into the attic I noticed what appeared to be dog droppings. Unusual for an attic.

I had the feeling I was not alone...

I moved deeper into the darker part of the attic. What I saw at the far end of the attic made me curious, then apprehensive. The attic insulation had been pushed together to form a mound about four feet high. I had the feeling I was not alone in the attic.

My flashlight grew dimmer. I carefully approached the mound stepping from rafter to rafter. Not the sort of flooring material that makes for an easy get-a-way. As I leaned over the top of the mound to see what was inside, my flashlight battery died leaving me in the dark. But in the instant it died, I saw a pressed-down area in the mound where creatures had been. It was empty. Thank goodness!

Just then, my client calls out, “Tom, what do you see?"

What do I say, was the real question. But being a speaker of truth, I had no choice but to call out to her, “I think you’ve had coyotes in your attic.”

There was a long pause. Then she called back, “Thank goodness. I was afraid you were going to say ‘Rats.’”

Again, I concluded that truthful disclosure was the best policy. Better to know the truth. We can all make better decisions when we know what’s really going on.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Got coyotes? Call me at (251) 990-3169 or send me an email.

Tom Sinclair

About the House - Home Inspections