Buying a first home is supposed to feel like a milestone.
But for one Reddit user, it quickly became a nightmare after a country bungalow purchased in July came with a foul attic smell, mice droppings, and a steady stream of bugs.
What happened?
In a post on Reddit, the first-time homebuyer said the house looked largely ready to live in, with only cosmetic work on the radar. After moving in, however, they found signs of a much larger pest problem, including extensive mouse activity in the attic and droppings in closets and under a tub panel.
The buyer said the home had been sitting empty after the previous renters moved out, which is why they believed the out-of-province sellers may not have known about the infestation. Looking back, they said the biggest mistake was not getting the attic checked as part of a full inspection.
"When we opened up the attic is STUNK like rotten piss," the homeowner wrote.
According to the post, the household was still catching mice — "12 or so" in the attic alone — even after setting traps and sealing likely access points. On top of that, the homeowner said ants, earwigs, and spiders had also become part of daily life in the house.
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Why does it matter?
A house that looks livable on the surface can still hide pest damage, insulation contamination, and air-quality concerns in attics, crawl spaces, and wall gaps.
Vacant or poorly maintained homes can create bigger problems for families and neighborhoods alike. When homes sit empty or are not properly maintained, pests can spread, damage materials, and make living spaces less healthy and less comfortable.
That can mean more waste, more repairs, and more money spent replacing materials that could have been protected through earlier upkeep.
The distress was not just about repairs. The homeowner said they have dealt with contamination OCD since childhood, which made the odor and mouse waste especially hard to cope with.
"I'm slowly losing my mind thinking about me and my child breathing this in," they said.
What can I do?
Commenters overwhelmingly urged the homeowner to call in professionals rather than rely on piecemeal fixes.
One wrote, "Get a professional pest control company. Stop hiring buddies or doing it yourself."
That same commenter said the response should go beyond catching mice, calling for a broader remediation effort that would include sanitizing affected spaces, replacing insulation where necessary, and figuring out exactly where the pests were entering.
Other replies focused on prevention steps homeowners can use alongside professional help, such as clearing back vegetation and outdoor clutter, sealing small openings, and placing wire mesh over vulnerable access points. Several commenters also preferred traps to poison so rodents would not die inside walls and create additional odor issues.
A check of a home's major systems still may not catch everything. A more comprehensive inspection can be worth the expense, especially in older homes or rural properties where mice and insects may have more opportunities to get inside.
In the end, the homeowner's advice came down to one line: "get the home inspection….. please."
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