Will you buy a home with termite treatment before?

[CharlesH]

Thank you all for the comments. Looks like we will just go with a bond and yearly inspection, in case we have to end up in a house with termites.

[az25]

One other point on termites-because they need moisture to survive, damp wood and paper is their number one target. Previous infestation *may* indicate hidden water problems. Of course, you can often get termites even if the area has never had water intrusion. Just something to pay attention to.

[lorilove]

Originally Posted by CharlesH

Thank you all for the comments. Looks like we will just go with a bond and yearly inspection, in case we have to end up in a house with termites.

The bond with yearly inspection does not cover much - I had that originally and you still pay for the repairs.

Go with the bond a Sentricon system - they check the traps quarterly and there is no annual inspection but it covers repairs. I had two termite problems with the annual inspection and none since getting Sentricon

[staywarm2]

Originally Posted by lorilove

The bond with yearly inspection does not cover much - I had that originally and you still pay for the repairs.

Go with the bond a Sentricon system - they check the traps quarterly and there is no annual inspection but it covers repairs. I had two termite problems with the annual inspection and none since getting Sentricon

If you get a bond that is "retreat & repair," you should be covered for both. Ours is $290 a year. We had the Sentricon System installed last year and that was extra $$'s.

[dblackga]

Originally Posted by CharlesH

Hello folks. Thanks for your previous suggestions about where to buy a home. It is really helpful.

We have now seen several homes, but found termite treatment histories in all the disclosures. Some even had termite treatments twice in the past 5 years! Since our family came from a place where termite is really rare, we have no idea whether we can buy a home with termites. Can anyone tell me whether we shall step away from such homes? Or, just buy a termite bond when buy a home? To what degree can a termite bond protect a home? Thanks.

It's the South. There's termites. There's cockroaches. There's mosquitos. Deal with it. That's why almost everyone has a termite bond. A good pest control company with a repair-and-replace termite bond will take care of just about any termite issue, and if you have seen termite repairs, it means that the homeowners have been on top of things and taken care of issues -- a good thing. if you stepped away from every home with termite issues, that would cut down the available houses to about 5% :-) Many buyers have a one-year termite bond included as part of their contract negotiations, or at least a free transfer of the existing bond. There are generally two kinds of bonds: a retreatment bond ("found termites? Ok, we'll kill 'em") or a "repair-and-retreat" bond ("fix the damage and also retreat the area.") The bond describes how often the home will be treated for termite inspection/prevention, limits of liability, etc.

You might feel better if you called a reputable termite control company and talk to them about termites in the South, along with different methods of termite protection, etc. It might ease your mind a bit.

[ElleKaye]

I would feel more confident purchasing a home that had termite treatment than one that has not. I had forgotten about this, but I checked up on exterminators: Pesticide Applicator Licensing and Certification - Ga Dept of Agriculture.

I'm pretty sure that was the site.