Mice in duplex Im looming to purchase

[James Cannon]

I am looking to purchase a duplex in St. Paul, MN. When I visited the property the tenants told me the home has mice. In your experience is this a deal breaker or somwthing that is easy to fix?

[Scott F.]

@James Cannon

Mice and rats don’t just pick an address to hang out at, they are there because it offers a couple of things form them – food, shelter, clothing err…, I mean a warm bed. The usually are attracted by a food source and simply find a way into the structure nearby for shelter. When hungry they return to the food source.

Eliminate the food source and block the entry points. You can use bait stations around the home (make sure kids and pets can’t get to the stations) that will feed and eventually kill them outdoors.

Once they eat the bait it makes them thirsty, mix the two (water and bait) and it’s lights out within a couple of hours up to a couple of days. The longer period is designed to have the entire family eat the poison then kill all of them.

Inside if you find mice runs (holes near the floor or wall) – stuff them with steel wool – they hate it.

If you have access to the home, you can apply the bait in the basement / crawl spaces so they are attracted to that area where they hopefully die.

@Michael Henry has solution #2 which I've used several times also, it's easier but more costly. 

Here’s two of my favorite kinds.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/ramik-green-4-lb-1022632?cm_mmc=feed-_-GoogleShopping-_-Product-_-1022632&gclid=CIqmkY6EzNICFROewAodlpwLAg

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Tomcat-Mouse-Killer-Refillable-Bait-Station-8-Pack-22478/202518709