Would you buy a house with termites?

[ILoveLucy]

We just had an inspection on a house we are in escrow for and they found termites. According to the inspector, he didn't see any damage, just signs of active infestation, but of course he didn't rip down anything, etc. He found this in the basement.

The seller must treat this with the termite control service of their choice according to the contract, but we may back out of the deal and keep our earnest money and just be out the $500 for our house inspection. DH really wants to get out. I love the house, but I'm afraid of getting into something costly that we can't see right now, perhaps unseen damage, and then it hurting our resale in the future since it must now be disclosed that it has had active termites/treatment.

Any insight on this? Would you move on and look for something else or trust that it can be taken care of? Thanks!

[o_mom]

I would ask for an additional inspection by a company that deals with termite damage.

[arivecchi]

I'd back out. You can find always find another house. From bitter experience, I have learned not to compromise when it comes to such a huge purchase. Not worth it. Do not get so emotionally attached to the house that you make a mistake. That has been my hard lesson. Treat it like the business transaction that it is. Best of luck.

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

Most likely, no. What kind of termites? Subterranean? Due to the possible structural damage I wouldn't buy.

OP, Would it make you nervous or paranoid to live in the house? What is your gut saying? I know you may really like the house, but would you love it even if you had to put money in it for repairs, or there was structural damage? If DH wants out, and you push to buy it and there is damage (like he suspects) would there be issues?

I think you already know the answer, but need validation. I "loved" (it was lust :ROTFLMAO:) our house, and overlooked the steep driveway. I curse myself every years as I shovel snow off of it....

[sewarsh]

If its active, that means they are still there. That's scary. Sometimes you really have no idea of the damage that have caused until its too late. i'd definately get an expert in there to assess.

We bought our house and there were signs of termites, however they were dead so it was a different story. we still made the owner treat for termites (it was about $1200).

[GaPeach_in_Ca]

I think everyone has termites here (close to coastal area).

It seems standard to tent a house when you buy it and then treat as needed.

We sold a 4 year old house and there was some termite activity in the ceiling. The inspector thought it was most likely from the lumber used, probably picked up some termites in the lumberyard.

The house we bought was 60 years old and we tented it before moving in.

[HIU8]

We bought a house with termite damage that we knew had to be fixed. there were no active termites at the time. We have been here 6 years and have no further termite infestations so far. EVERY single house we looked at had termite damage. The one we bought had a contract with a termite company that we were familiar with and whose owner treated us very well right from the start.

[happymomma]

If I were you, having termites is not a done deal for me. I would get termite specialist to take a look at it. Our house inspector did not see the termites in our house. I freaked out when after 6 months, we found termites. When I had 3 specialists come out and take a look, they all told me the same thing. A house in our area will sooner or later have termite issues. You just need to get it checked and have termite specialists treat the problem. Termites take a long long time for them to damage the house. The stories you hear are mostly of people that that did nothing for years and years. So we paid $700 to get it treated and it's supposed to last 10 years. We'll probably get it checked every so often but I wouldn't worry about it.

[Globetrotter]

It's very common around here. I panicked when we got them, but since then I've realized it's not a big deal as long as it's treated. Make sure the seller pays to repair damages and you could also get an inspection by someone of your choice to ease your mind.

If it's common in your area, it may be hard to avoid.

[elektra]

It's very common around here. I panicked when we got them, but since then I've realized it's not a big deal as long as it's treated. Make sure the seller pays to repair damages and you could also get an inspection by someone of your choice to ease your mind.

If it's common in your area, it may be hard to avoid.

This is the case around here too. I think every house in CA has termites! We had our house tented before we moved in.

[bubbaray]

Its not common here (nor is radon) and I would probably faint if termites (or any other bugs, rodents, etc) came up in an inspection. If you live where bugs, rodents, radon, etc. are common, I'd make the seller do what they need to do to remediate and complete the deal if I otherwise loved the house. It really depends on what is the norm for your area.

[pinkmomagain]

If I remember correctly, we discovered termites in our first house during inspection. The inspector did not see them, my sister noticed them! In the basement. We went through with the purchase with no regrets...however the seller did have to have it treated.

[citymama]

This is the case around here too. I think every house in CA has termites! We had our house tented before we moved in.

Exactly! Every home, esp. older home, in CA has termites! I can't even imagine it being a deal-breaker - what would we buy if we wanted something termite-free? Understand that it's not likely to be an infestation that you actually deal with on a daily basis - just an expense to factor in prior to moving in. All homes on the market here come with a termite assessment; you should probably get one done by your own inspector as well. We're house-hunting, and the homes we're looking at have had anywhere from $2500-45,000 (yes $45K!) in termite expenses. Not damages - expenses. I would say the average is about $5000 for a 1200 sq ft home. Often it is just an issue with stairs or garage not the house itself. It certainly wouldn't be a deal-breaker for me.

ETA Here, it is not something the seller pays for - the buyer does. But you can write into your contract that you expect termite inspection costs and remediation covered by the seller.

[salsah]

not a deal breaker. even if you a buy a house w/o known termites, that doesn't mean that it wasn't treated for termites in the past or that you won't discover termites 5 yrs after you buy it.
if you love the location, and the house, get a thorough inspection so you know exactly what you are getting into. if it turns out to be bad, you can back out and think of the money spent as money well spent to save you from the potential problems. if it isn't too bad, then congrats! your realtor should be able to tell you who (seller or buy) is responsible for taking care of the various stages of termite treatment (it varies by area).

GL!

[almostamom]

Are termites uncommon in the area? I live in the Phoenix suburbs. They are very, very common here. Our house is 7 years old. We discovered termites about 2 years ago. We have a termite "warranty" on our house. As long as we have it inspected annually, the termite co. will pay to treat if they ever come back. I've lived in 4 houses here over 35 years - every one of them had termites at some point. I worked in a real estate office when I was in college. The realtors had a saying, "In Phoenix, you've either had termites, have termites, or will get termites". It wouldn't be a deal breaker for me although I might choose to find my own source of inspection and treatment to ensure that it was done correctly.

Linda

[Zansu]

Termites are common here. Buyers treat the house and a termite treatment service plan for a year or two is usually included.

[AnnieW625]

ETA Here, it is not something the seller pays for - the buyer does. But you can write into your contract that you expect termite inspection costs and remediation covered by the seller.

FWIW, most lenders make the sellers pay for termite inspections and repairs. I used to do home loans (for military veterans) and we wouldn't close on a home until the inspection came back as free and clear of termites.

Now with that said I don't think if a house had termites and it could be tented and fixed then I would not hesitate to buy the home.

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

So, OP.... Are termites common in your area? If you don't know call around and find out. Ask Pest Inspectors, your Realtor, Home Inspectors, judging from pp's if they are common in your area, and the seller takes care of it, it may not be such a big deal...

[ncat]

When we bought our house in CA, I was really worried to find out it had had termites and needed treatment at one point - I thought it was a deal-breaker - until I realized that it was minor exterior damage and it was completely normal, even expected, for the area.

When we sold the same house and the inspection turned up termites (exterior), I told the neighbors on both sides and neither seemed interested, let alone worked up about it.

It really depends on what is normal for the area and how much/what kind of damage there is.

Good luck!

[Melbel]

Absolutely not. We had $100k in hidden termite damage in our last house and the termite companies are a nightmare to deal with when it comes time to fulfill contractual obligations. Run! I will post more later (at Disney).

[wellyes]

No way. No way. No way.
Our first house had a little termite damage, said the inspector. He missed the damage to the FOUNDATION that we were later responsible for fixing. Nightmare.

[Melbel]

As a follow up to my earlier post, we also live in an area that is plagued by subterranean termites. Nonetheless, not all homes have termite damage, or at the same level of risk of termite damage. For example, homes built before chlordane was banned in approximately 1988, tend to have less termite infestations and damage. Homes built between 1988 to about 2003 were built during a void in effective termite treatment, in addition to poor construction practices such as framing all the way to the ground. Around 2003, there was once again another very effective termiticide on the market, Termidor.

The problem with termite damage is that it is often well hidden behind the walls. As I mentioned in my earlier post, our prior house had had over $100k in hidden damage including major structural damage below my son's 2nd floor bedroom in an area that did not have any known infestations. We did testing of all the studs (drilling coupled with video) to discover this damage as part of resolving our claim against the pest control company. Fortunately, we did not face any major storms or hurricanes. I hate to even think about it. We ultimately ended up fine financially, due in large part to the fact that I am an attorney that took the time to learn all about termite treatments. Overall, it was quite an ordeal.

The people who sold us the home told us that they had 1 infestation that was treated/repaired. They even purged records from the pest control file. We later found out that there had been about 8 additional infestations by getting a complete copy of the file from the pest control company. For an existing home, we will not purchase homes built during 1988 to 2003 because a large percentage have termite damage. Additionally, to seriously consider a house, we would prefer a complete history on the house from the pest control company (not as big of an issue for homes with chlordane).

ETA: A few more thoughts - I would not rely on routine termite inspections, because often the standards do very little to protect a buyer. In FL, so long as there are no signs of an active infestation, the report will come up "clean." In your case, if the evidence of the live infestation was cleaned up (something as simple as sweeping up the termites), the company could issue a clean report notwithstanding their knowledge. IMO, the WDO reports here are absolutely worthless. Even more thorough inspections are often not helpful because you would have to open wall space to inspect for and follow damage, which prospective buyers would be reluctant to do. An active infestation will usually hinder financing. Did the buyer disclose a history of termites? If not, and the pest control company has a record of same, this would be a clear reason to RUN from the dishonest sellers.

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

[fumofu]

I "loved" (it was lust :ROTFLMAO:) our house, and overlooked the steep driveway. I curse myself every years as I shovel snow off of it....

My parents' house have a steep driveway too. They have to stay in during the rainy season to make sure the rainwater drains properly. The basement has flooded way too many times. And once my parents were locked out of the house at 3am after they swept water out of the garage...