A home inspection is necessary when you are buying a new home. A home inspection includes checking everything from the structure to the foundations of the house. You must get the cooling and heating systems analysed along with the windows, roofs, and even plumbing systems. This is usually the general inspection; one more thing to include in this inspection is the pest inspection. Once done with this inspection, the inspector may recommend other inspections, like a termite inspection, according to the results. Let’s dive in to find out whether you need a termite inspection for your potential new home or not.
What are Termites?
Termite is an insect that destroys the wood. These pests aren’t harmful to humans. However, they can cause huge damages to the property. These insects are hazardous to wooden houses as they eat them inside out. From the walls to the joists and even the cabinets and insulation, you name it, these little monsters can wreak havoc on literally any wooden part of your home. Besides wood, termites can also harm paper, boxes, and books. Moreover, they can also feed on the trees and shrubs and the foliage around your home.
Termite treatment is far more challenging than its prevention. Because once the termite problem starts, the damage is guaranteed. These are among the most destructive pests with a knack for cellulose-based materials. So, if you have wood around the house or the house is made of wood, you are at risk of termites. One of the most dangerous things about termites is that they go unnoticed until they have already wreaked havoc and destroyed the home. However, this can also be avoided by hiring a professional and licensed technician for a termite inspection to ensure that these harmful pests stay away from your precious home.
Is a Termite Inspection obligatory?
Although no federal law deems the termite inspection mandatory while buying a home, most lenders don’t provide a loan without one. So, if you are buying a home through a mortgage lender, then the termite clearance letter might be necessary. A licensed termite inspection company issues this letter. It states that the company inspected the property thoroughly and didn’t find any evidence of the termites or damage due to termites around the house.
Another important note to be made is that although the house may not have a current termite infestation, it may have some damages from a prior one. The buyer and the seller must discuss this issue and decide who would be paying for the damage repair.
What should be the frequency of Termite Inspections?
It is recommended that you get your home inspected and treated for termites once a year. However, if you reside in a high-risk home, you might need to inspect it twice or more per year. Don’t wait any longer, as termites can go unnoticed while building up their nests. The best solution is that of prevention or catch an infestation at the earliest.
The most critical factor that decides the frequency of the inspections is the place you reside; areas with a hot and wet climate like Australia are considered high risk and should be inspected much more.
Why I Need a Termite Inspection?
Here are a few reasons why you need to include a termite inspection in your home buying process:
Termites are the worst kind of wood-destroying insects. They cause significant damage to property before they can even be noticed. This is one of the foremost reasons to get a property inspected by a licensed and trained termite inspector to discover the issue beforehand.
These little monsters can keep building their colonies for up to five years before they start to cause substantial damage. A regular inspection can help you nip them in the bud before they damage your valuables. Once the damage has started to happen, it becomes quite challenging to treat them.
2. Termite infestation causes Costly Damages.
As the termite infestation damage cost isn’t covered by the homeowner’s insurance, it can be really hard for the homeowners to get it repaired. Furthermore, the damages caused by them are usually costly and may cost you up to $200,000 for the repair. On the other hand, an inspection would cost you only a fraction of this amount. So, it is recommended to get the property inspected before buying it, or you may have to regret it later.
The Termite Inspection Process
The termite inspection takes around 2 hours to complete depending on the area and size of the property. The qualified inspector will look at both the exterior and the interior of the house for visible and hidden signs of an infestation, such as broken wigs, damaged wood, mud tubes, and droppings.
The inspector will need to access all parts of your home, including the basement, garage, attic and even the crawl spaces, to ensure everything is covered and inspected. The inspector will carefully analyse the bathroom and kitchen as termites usually gain access into the house through the plumbing. Walls, closets, cabinets, windows, and baseboards will also be inspected closely. Moreover, the inspector will analyse the exterior walls and foundation to see if there are any signs of damage to the wood or any mud tubes in the foundation. Finally, the inspector will also analyse the surrounding yard and property to ensure there are no signs of damage.
What if you find Termite Infestation or Damage in the Potential new Home?
If they find a termite infestation or damage, it doesn’t mean you can’t buy the property. First things first, you will have to see the level of the damage done. Whether it can be fixed or not. The inspector will help to determine the course of action for you. If the damage is minor and the seller is willing to pay for the damage, the property is still worth considering. On the other hand, if the damage is more, then you may want to walk away or discuss with the seller to work up a solution.
So, go ahead and get a termite inspection by a qualified and licensed inspector on the property you are interested in before going ahead with the deal.
Contact us today for an obligation free quote. After you get a termite inspection if you do end up having termites. We take the cost of the inspection off of the termite treatment cost.
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What Services Do We Offer?
We offer a bunch of services and treatments to control pest infestation for the masses all across Australia. Our pest control services can manage:
- Flying insects (wasps, bees, flies, mosquitoes, etc.)
- Crawling insects (termites, spiders, cockroaches, ants, etc.)
- Birds and rodents (rats, mice, birds, etc.)
Our team of experts works towards returning your home back to you just so you can resume your life without any disruption or hassle, which is exactly what makes The Local Guys Pest Control Andrews Farm the absolute best in the game!
