REXBURG - Located at 675 W. 5000 North, a house is listed to sell, but there is more to this abode than meets the eye: It is infested with garter snakes.
The last owners of the home were Ben and Amber Sessions. They bought the house at what they thought was a great price.
"We were told that the previous owners in there didn't want to make their payment because they made up a story that there were snakes there, that they didn't want to pay their mortgage so they made up a snake story," Ben Sessions said.
The couple was also informed that every precaution was taken to ensure there wasn't a snake problem. They trusted the real estate agent that the information they had been told was true.
Later, the Sessions learned that the story of the snakes was not made up, and there was a problem.
The Sessions were forced to file for bankruptcy and the house was foreclosed.
The house is currently owned by Chase Bank, which contacted Todd Davis, listing specialist and associate broker from Realty Quest, to handle the selling of the foreclosed home. Realty Quest did not handle the sale to the Sessions.
This is the first experience Davis has had with the house and has not seen any snakes, as it is the hibernating season. He has heard about the home from others and is going to try to sell the home while making sure those inquiring are aware of the situation.
Davis had requested the bank to get the house inspected and find out what it would take to rid of the problem. The bank sent an inspector, who estimated in December there were about 400 to 500 snakes at the house. The latest assessment from the inspector is that there are multiple thousands of snakes.
The Sessions moved into the home in September 2009 and began to see snakes two weeks after they had moved in. At first, they thought maybe they were just stirring some snakes up because the house had been vacant for a year. They lived out in the country and expected to see some snakes.
After some time, the Sessions began to see more snakes. Amber Sessions saw eight snakes within a couple of days and decided to research the house a little more.
"I went online to find out what was going on. I typed in ‘Idaho snake house,' and there was a Channel 6 news report of the previous people that lived there, the Ards, and it was our house," said Amber Sessions.
Davis understands the snakes to be under the foundation of the house and Ben Sessions says he believes the snakes to be by the well because the water at the house tasted the same as the snakes smelled.
Garter snakes "secrete a foul-smelling fluid from anal glands when alarmed." (Click here for more.)
"From what we're told, the snakes actually leave a scent that attracts other snakes to the den for up to 2 miles away," Davis said.
The "snake house" has been listed for sale for 46 days, as of today, and Davis said that with each person inquiring, Realty Quest is making sure those interested are aware of the problem to their knowledge.
A YouTube video was posted by the owners before the Sessions (the Ards) of the snakes, and Davis is also e-mailing the link to inquirers. Davis said the YouTube video is the only true evidence of the snakes that he has seen.
The Sessions were on the Animal Planet television show, "Infested: snakes, spiders, and ants," but the video footage of the snakes is a reenactment of the situation.
"Everyone that we've been talking to, we've offered - the Sessions have said that they're willing to let people contact them - we're offering their phone number to them, as well as the pest inspector's phone number to them to try to make them as aware as possible," Davis said.
Davis estimated the house to be worth about $175,000 if it were not infested and it is currently listed at $109,200 because of the situation.
The house was remodeled about five years ago, and it is believed that is when the snakes got access to the home because it was exposed.
"We're not trying to minimize (the problem), we're not trying to sweep it under the rug," Davis said. "The minimal amount we would make in a commission is not worth destroying someone's life and what's happened to the Sessions. We feel terrible for them, it's simply, it sounds like they were the victims of misinformation, and we're trying to go 180 degrees the opposite direction with that."
theLaydibug posted at 6:59 pm on Thu, Oct 6, 2011.
Conservation status
Despite the decline in their population from collection as pets (especially in the more northerly regions in which large groups are collected at hibernation), pollution of aquatic areas, and introduction of bullfrogs as prey , this is still a very commonly found snake. The San Francisco garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia) however, is an endangered subspecies and has been on the endangered list since 1969. Predation by crawfish has also been responsible for the decline of the narrow head garter snake .
The Snake Eradicator posted at 4:44 pm on Mon, Jul 25, 2011.
I can solve the challenge and eliminate all the snakes. I will be using an Extremley Low Frequency Generator. (Similar to what is used in NASA) This transmits a longitudinal wave of electromagnetic sound sent on a carrier wave frequency that matches the resonance of water (the body of the snake is mostly water) and will cause the jawbone of the snake to vibrate in a way that will get the attention of the reptile with unimistakable clarity.
I know what frequency will draw all the snakes out of the nest, whether that is 400 or 4000 snakes. This is not ultra sound, which is high frequency, snakes do not respond to high frequency. This is not a radio wave of sound either, much superior.
It is magnetic and it is powerful. I will have the jawbones of those snakes vibrating so darn hard they will not know what hit them. The signal can be used to attract or aggitate the snake. I would be using the "carrot and the stick" type method to lure the snakes into a pit where their lives will be terminated. I would invite Ben Sessions and his family to watch all the intruders "executed at a snake barbeque show" to bring some poetic justice to their story if they so desired.
Yes, this story can have a happy ending. All the snakes gone without having to lift up the house and pour a new foundation in. . This would take a max of 30 to 90 days.
I would personally have to move to the area and begin "the snake removal job". This would cost about $10,000. The ELF generators are expensive, this is the main cost challenge that cannot be avoided. There are only a few of these in the entire country.
rexburgite posted at 4:29 pm on Wed, Jul 6, 2011.
#1 the Sessions were not living in this area when the Ards were on the news.
#2 The realtor did tell them that there was a "story" but it was not true.
#3 living with a few snakes fine, but thousands of snakes is not. The snakes were in thier drinking water and their bath water and slithering in their walls when they tried to sleep. No thank you!
#4 the Ards had lost the house because they had to claim bankrupcy so no they had nothing to do with the sale to the Sessions. Therefore the Ards did not disclose this fact to the Sessions. If they would have know it was on the market they would have let them know.
#5 it keeps coming back in the news because the bank keeps putting it up for sale and the Sessions do not want what happened to them to happen to someone else.
SugarDaddy posted at 1:45 pm on Fri, Jun 17, 2011.
gogo: There was PLENTY of exposure of this house prior to it's sale from the Ard's. It was on all our local TV news stations as well as the Standard Urinal and Post Register.
SuziQue posted at 8:31 am on Thu, Jun 16, 2011.
It is obvious there are lots of you that have no idea the true FEAR snakes can cause on a lot of us.PTSD not me, I'd have had a full blown heart attack! And isn't is wonderful, they have listed it for so much below market value?, WHAT VALUE??? I'm surprised that the wife didn't have a misscarriage. I think the realtor should have had to spend a few nights in there with the "silly rumor". I hope they find a real home for the family soon.
gogo48 posted at 9:53 am on Sat, Jun 4, 2011.
There would be no bankruptcy or foreclosure. I would be taking the someone to court for nondisclosure of information about the previous owners and why they left. That is just wrong. To the post from apparati below: why don't you buy the house, if you think that many snakes are so beneficial?
tsimm97 posted at 12:31 pm on Fri, Jun 3, 2011.
I read one comment which suggested using hogs. Hogs are supposed to eat snakes. Yea, and they'll ruine the house while doing it. It would make more sense to just tear down the house. Also, someone was saying how great snakes are for the ecosystem. Yea, but who in their right mind wants to live in a house with thousands of snakes?!
angeleyes posted at 2:51 pm on Thu, Jun 2, 2011.
ewwwww i'd run screaming out of that house, i sure hope the sessions have some recourse with the realtor that sold them that place. snakes....... it had to be snakes. ewwwwwwww!!!!!
snakeman posted at 10:33 pm on Sat, Mar 5, 2011.
i don't know if this problem has been resolved yet. the solution is HOGS! true story:
get a couple of hogs and they'll eat up all of the snakes...
http://www.gardenbanter.co.uk/ponds/60567-re-snake-cool-snake-story.html
apparati posted at 4:29 pm on Sat, Mar 5, 2011.
These are friendly snakes. Garter snakes are beneficial -- they eat pests -- they do not harm humans.
snaketaboo77 posted at 6:49 am on Fri, Feb 25, 2011.
snaketaboo77 's SOLD I'LL TAKE IT .
observer posted at 9:20 pm on Thu, Jan 27, 2011.
Sounds like Realty Quest is doing all they can to be honest and disclose the truth about this "snake house"......unlike the agents that sold to previous two owners..due diligence is a good point,coupled with truthful agents buying real estate is anything but reptilian.
Retirement posted at 10:28 am on Thu, Jan 20, 2011.
To bad the Sessions were the ones hurt the most in this mess. The previous owners or whomever handled the sale to Sessions sound less than honest if they never told the Sessions. Did the Sessions do their due dilligence with inspectors before buying. Although depending on when they bought there may not have been snakes due to weather. Greed was all it was about for whomever it was that handled the sale.
Of course the bank didn't treat the previous owner very well saying they made up the snake story. Did the owner before Ards disclose anything about the snakes? NO matter it is still all about money.
Now Chase wants to peddle it to someone, sounds like the right thing to do is to demolish this house and take the loss. Unless someone can for a fact eliminate the snakes for good.