termites found during inspection?

Question

I have an accepted offer on a home built in 1994 in North Carolina. The inspection found a past and possible current ifestation of termites. How and when do you know when it's too bad to still prceed on the deal? Is the fact an infestation was found, mean the house should be off-limits? Or is the fact it was built in 1994 mean it can be treated and be fine?

How common are termites to be found in homes in North Carolina?

I guess I'm wondering if the fact they were even found is a huge, deal breaking thing, or fairly normal a finding?

Answer 1

It's pretty common. You should get a second inspection done by a licensed structural pest inspector. Their report will give a cost estimate to fix the problem (i.e. tent the house, replace termite damaged wood). Then approach the seller about getting the work done prior to closing, or providing you with a credit for you to do it afterwards.

Answer 2

The answer of course is: it depends.

Termites are a relatively common occurence. They're not necessarily dealbreakers when it's past infestations that have been aggressively treated and since managed effectively (i.e. dead, and not coming back to bother you so long as you keep the standard termite treatments on going).

If the infestation was disclosed by the owner then you should probably take that as a good sign that the guy is being upfront with you and that the problem has been effectively mitigated.

But since you discovered it only during your inspection then there's a chance the seller may be trying to hoodwink you.

Of course all things depend on the severity of what actually occured. Was the infestation caught early? were only a few things needed to have been done to solve the problem? or were there significant structural problems which developd from hungry bugs eating through the walls? etc etc

Either way, you can ask for credits from the seller due to this unexpected discovery.

Regardless, if you purchase the property get some relatively well known company to due their termite inspection then take out a Termite Bond and have them continue to service the home annually.

Answer 3

when the house was built in 1994, no, that is not normal. that's one of the reasons i advise buyers to try to get an older, not a brand new, house. (you may write to my email provided here to get a copy of an answer in reference to how older houses were built as opposed to those made now).

this is not going to break your deal. it shouldn't. what you should do, immediately, is get your own termite inspector in to determine whether the termite damage is current and not only from the past. and, you want to know just how much the termites ate in the past, to learn if you have a true danger as to the structure, now. i really, really don't think so. if you doubt this, call an independent home inspector too. get any structural problems from termites documented and prepare to pay to fix them. again, i doubt that it caused structural problems.

if you have current infestation, why don't you simply get a termite company to eliminate them? it does not cost that much, nor is it hard for them to do. but be smart and call the better business bureau after you narrow down your company choices to see if any complaints were lodged, and/or rectified, by these companies before you pay. you then provide the buyer with the certificate that the work was completed. be sure to tell your Realtor that this is what you will do to keep the deal together.

i don't suggest, in this instance, that you give a credit at closing for this work to be done. that way, the cost could end up getting inflated and there, you lose out.

termites are found everywhere across the usa other than in desert areas. THIS IS WHAT WORRIES ME:

how did the builder build your FOUNDATION? that is the utterly most important element of ANY structure. a home inspection can tell you if you have any foundation cracks that led to water seepage, which may or may not have attracted termites. but if your foundation is cracked, yikes! bad news!

how are your floors? are they sloping more than when you bought this house? are they bulging or swelling? do the tops of your doors look as though they are not straight, but angled? if so, you may have a cracked foundation. if so, TAKE CARE OF IT IMMEDIATELY whether you sell the house or you stay there. it is nothing but trouble. it is AWFUL.

any specific questions? feel free to write one to me at my provided email address if so.

Answer 4

Those pesky critters are in every state and anywhere there is wood. You need a special report from a termite expert as to what you should do. I just finished one where the identical issue was found so I had an expert come in after the inspection and they said that the house will eventually fall down and if not treated regularly it will fall down sooner, all that the inspector said it had previous termite damage. Needless to say my buyers didn't go for the property.
Buena Suerte