About Termite Inspections

What are you actually buying when you purchase a termite inspection during the purchase of a home? It is not a guarantee that the home does not have an infestation of wood destroying insects. You are actually buying a visual inspection by a trained professional who will report any findings of wood destroying insects that may be infesting the structure. This includes but is not limited to termites, carpenter ants, powder post beetles, and wharf- borers. The inspector is looking for mostly indirect signs of pest activity that can adversely affect the value of your purchase. It is not often that live insects are found during these types of inspections. It is important to remember that the inspector should not use investigative tactics that damage the property in question. This means no drilling or ripping apart any parts of the home. So what is the inspector looking for? The following items are of major interest to the inspector when performing such inspections.

First the inspector will look for live or dead insects that may be in or around the outside of the structure. Second the inspector looks for frass. Frass is the shavings from wood destroying insects. Carpenter ants leave what looks like wood shavings jus outside of their nest. Powder post beetles leave a powdery frass when they damage wood. Finally termites leave an off color frass that more resembles saw dust. Third the inspector will concentrate his time in areas of higher moisture. Termites and carpenter ants need higher than normal amounts of moisture to stay alive. Finally the inspector will be on the lookout for unsound wood. Almost all insects that damage wood infest softer damaged wood instead of dry healthy wood.

When it comes to termites, the inspector will look for shelter tubes that the termites use to travel out of soil and into your home. In the case of Dry wood termites the inspector could also look for fecal pellets. These are sand grain type of droppings that would indicate infestation. Lastly, if you live in a southern state the inspector may also be looking for a Formosan termite. Once the inspector is finished with the inspection he will write up a report of findings.

The WDO report simply states if the inspector found visual evidence of infestation by wood destroying organisms. The inspector details what he has found with a report and a diagram. The inspector will then give his recommendation of treatment depending on his findings. In some cases the inspector will find evidence of recent treatment, in these cases he will generally recommend that the treating company records be called upon to find out the level and efficacy of the termite treatment. The report will not tell you the degree of damage that has taken place. You should understand most damage from termites is hidden damage that without taking the structure apart cannot be estimated. The biggest part of the report is the Obstructions and Inaccessible areas section of the report. This basically tells you all the things that were in the way of seeing wood destroying insects. Such things as floors, walls, floor coverings, furniture, insulation, stored items, and appliances will be listed as reasons why the inspector may have not found the critters he was looking for. There are at least 24 conditions that would not allow the inspector to find an infestation.

Some states allow salesmen to do the inspection for Wood destroying insects during the sale of a property. Really, do you want some guy who is dependent upon the sale of a pest control service to do this important inspection, if this salesman has not had a sale in a while anything could potentially be a termite or carpenter ant? Who is going to know? With just days to the completed sale, someone will agree to pay the $500.00 for a treatment. Never let a salesman do a low cost inspection, it will cost all involved in the long run.

Basically you are buying a professional opinion based on little to no evidence when buying a termite inspection. A true professional will tell you that just because he did not find visual evidence at the time of inspection does not mean that there are no problems with these pests in the structure. This is a very difficult inspection that is not paid well and in most cases done in less than 30 minutes. Because of these facts a salesmen can sell fear at the time of closing to force participants in the sale to buy unneeded services just before close. It is important to investigate reliable inspectors that do not profit from their findings.