msomally, I have a zero tolerance for any creepy crawly in my house, if I see one I go on the hunt, if I see two, I figure I have a nest somewhere. I don't bother identifying the creepy crawly.
If I can't find it myself, I call in a "snake" guy. That's were it is helpful to have an ID.
I hope someone can ID the critter.

Thanks WG. The little thing wasn't even as big around as a toothpick although I don't think he knew that! Feisty!

Wonder if it was a little Ringneck?--sometimes they have a red or yellow neck-ring.
----and they get in houses all the time!!
Sure are cute....

Sounds like a baby black racer to me.

We have a lot of snakes here and they find their way into the house occasionally. In fact I think a big one is in residence in the cellar. We just are careful before we pick up any coils of garden hoses or hoe handles, both of which we have mistaken a black snake for. The last snake I took out of here was more like five feet. Nobody around but me and I opened the door first, put the dog behind a closed door so he wouldn't attack it and picked it up to relocate in the cool fern beds outside the front door. I remember playing down by the creek with 'worms' until my Mama came down to look and found out they weren't worms, LOL.

Yes, coulda been a worm snake or especially a ring neck. Last one I found in the house was about the size you mentioned. They are small and delicate and actually very beautiful even at maturity. Now, if you had been brave enough to pick it up and get a really good look at the markings and scales, you coulda looked it up. LOL. Black racers are actually rather light when they are young juveniles, so I'm assuming at three inches they wouldn't be a racer.