Animal Kingdom in New Home

[Cory Kerbs]

We closed on a beautiful two story home Tuesday the 1st in Joplin, MO. I've wanted to begin my real estate journey and Tuesday was the start! Well.... That's where everything hit the fan... We're keeping our current single family home and converting to a rental which will cash flow $900 a month! Our new purchase is a quarter of a mile away in the same neighborhood allowing me to manage the property & save on those fees as well. We're also going to utilize the finished basement as a Air BNB to offset some of the costs.... Sound great, right?! Upon inspection we noticed some "water damage" on the drop down ceiling tiles. The inspector checked a few spots and thought all issues had been resolved. Following closing and further inspection, WRONG. We pulled every single tile and it just kept raining poop, nests, leaves, insulation, etc! Some droppings the size of human... We found the entry point, two open vents leading to the exterior under the deck. After pulling two deck boards, we properly sealed the open entry points for whatever critters were living rent free. We purchased and installed all new insulation today with new tiles on the way. We went back to the will be rental and picked up another load to haul back over this evening. Upon entering the basement, an opossum was just chilling inside... We carried it out, but are worried there are more still living in the ceiling... ***Not to mention the 7ft. black snake in the backyard as well today...

I'm BLOWN away that the sellers left us with a flea, opossum, and whatever else infested home and had "no idea" any of this was happening because it was clear living with animals has been going on for a LONG time.  They had a dog, & I know our two dogs would've been going nuts hearing anything in the ceilings or walls... They sellers were a nightmare to deal with and it only continues to get worse. It's such a shame at the lack of care for such a beautiful piece of property. This is not at all how I dreamed the first few days following closing would go...