Termite contract worth it? (Phoenix: 2015, rentals, lenders)

[Voebe]

To me the crucial factor would be if you like the company. I realize that not everyone will research this as relentlessly as I did. But although the warranty is a good thing to have, it's pointless if the company is sub-par. If it were me, I'd research the company. If I liked them, I'd renew. If not, I'd let it go, wait until more termites show up, and start from scratch (yes, that first treatment will be more expensive), and go with the new company.

[kell490]

I had termites the cost to treat it was $1000 then I paid for the warranty contract for 5 years. This was when I first bought my home the past owners had built a wood desk right on the dirt which was infested with termites. Once I got it all removed and put in concrete decking no more termites problems I treated for 5 years after removing the wood to just be sure then I dropped the contract. The company I was using all they did was pull back the dirt away from the house about 1 inch then spray some stuff in there and cover it back up I didn't see the value in that. Wood and dirt don't mix here only steel and concrete survive the desert.

[Milrose]

We were recently down in AZ looking at houses (with stucco exteriors.) Several people made the comment that houses where the stucco touches the dirt are more susceptible to termites than houses where the stucco stops four inches above the dirt. The comment was that when the stucco touches the dirt, it is easier for the termites to get into the stucco and eventually into the house. Has anyone else heard this? Would it be better to limit ones search to only those houses where the stucco does not touch the dirt, or does the design not really matter?

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by Milrose

We were recently down in AZ looking at houses (with stucco exteriors.) Several people made the comment that houses where the stucco touches the dirt are more susceptible to termites than houses where the stucco stops four inches above the dirt. The comment was that when the stucco touches the dirt, it is easier for the termites to get into the stucco and eventually into the house. Has anyone else heard this? Would it be better to limit ones search to only those houses where the stucco does not touch the dirt, or does the design not really matter?

Depends on the type of termite. Some termites will travel great lengths to get to wood either way. In a rental I purchased years ago, it was a brick home but wooded frame. In the garage were mud tubes running completely up the wall to the ceiling to get to the wood. There are subterranean termites who live in colonies of the 1000s, it takes a bit of work to eliminate them as they travel great distances and can be attacking multiple homes. You will see evidence of these by mud tubes running up or in your wall. They are very destructive and very quickly. There are also Dry Woods who live in colonies of 100s inside the wood. You can find them by finding their pellets on the ground (looks like little wood colored sea salts). They are less destructive but are harder to find so they can do a lot of damage without you ever seeing it.

I personally wouldn't recommend doing it yourself. Especially if you have a 'floating slab' construction. It requires drilling into the walls, trenching the soil and injecting poison deep into the soil/walls/foundation. The best poison that contractors can use are either:

IMMAX Pro 4% (usually the cheapest)
Premise or
Termidor (usually the preferred)

We had a contractor handle a few of my homes for 300 each covering 5 years with a 150 renewal at 5 years.

But having Stucco or Wood touching the soil should be against building codes now right? They are also attracted to moisture in the soil, the drywoods flock after the first rain of spring. They look like flying ants and will hover around your exterior lights.

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by Milrose

We were recently down in AZ looking at houses (with stucco exteriors.) Several people made the comment that houses where the stucco touches the dirt are more susceptible to termites than houses where the stucco stops four inches above the dirt. The comment was that when the stucco touches the dirt, it is easier for the termites to get into the stucco and eventually into the house. Has anyone else heard this? Would it be better to limit ones search to only those houses where the stucco does not touch the dirt, or does the design not really matter?

I'd want some separation between the ground and the stucco - if nothing else, at least you have a chance at seeing any tubes. Termites here can be really *really* sneaky with where they place their tubes. One or two tubes can support quite a large infestation.

[Wally Sconce]

Originally Posted by Milrose

We were recently down in AZ looking at houses (with stucco exteriors.) Several people made the comment that houses where the stucco touches the dirt are more susceptible to termites than houses where the stucco stops four inches above the dirt. The comment was that when the stucco touches the dirt, it is easier for the termites to get into the stucco and eventually into the house. Has anyone else heard this? Would it be better to limit ones search to only those houses where the stucco does not touch the dirt, or does the design not really matter?

Doesn't guarantee anything, termites will crawl up the concrete walls (make tubes) and duck under the stucco. A little landscaping can keep the dirt away from the stucco.

[tgt40]

Okay at the risk of restarting an old thread, Ii've got a new twist....What I've been told is that we can get a termite warranty with an exterminator who will check the house yearly or bi-yearly and then be responsible to address any issue once they show up but no pre-emptive treatment is done. In more than a few opinions pre-treatment is not that effective (but reading this thread I'm starting to think different) or at the least required. The thinking is don't treat for a problem that doesn't exist but inspect often and get on 'em when needed.

Thoughts?

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by tgt40

Okay at the risk of restarting an old thread, Ii've got a new twist....What I've been told is that we can get a termite warranty with an exterminator who will check the house yearly or bi-yearly and then be responsible to address any issue once they show up but no pre-emptive treatment is done. In more than a few opinions pre-treatment is not that effective (but reading this thread I'm starting to think different) or at the least required. The thinking is don't treat for a problem that doesn't exist but inspect often and get on 'em when needed.

Thoughts?

Get an inspection if you have no termites don't worry about it if you do then get a warranty. There are different kinds of termites that require different kinds of treatment. Depending on the age of your home and where you are, one of my homes in Tucson had recurrent issues with 3 different kinds of termites, this is a topic I have [too] much experience with. If you're worried, inspections are cheap get a termite professional (try to stay more local as the big guys overcharge). I had one quote from a certain well known brand in yellow cars for 1200 and no warranty, using bait traps, but then a local company charged 399 with a five year warranty, using IMMAXX, that solved the problem for about 6 years then I had them do it again.

If you have subterranean (you'll see mud tubes going up your walls) your house will have to be trenched (assuming it's a floating slab) and sprayed with IMMAX PRO or whatever the exterminator desires. They will also, again depending on the construction i.e. are the walls attached or are they stem walls, they will drill horizontal holds into the separation between the walls and the slab and inject there, that is usually then filled with some sort of concrete in a tube and is usually below ground so it isn't noticeable.

If you have Dry-woods (you'll see little yellow and brown pellets on the ground) then spot treatments are the best course of action.

I'd generally avoid bait traps as they attract termites in the first place. I'd generally avoid being proactive beyond inspections by some exterminator with the understanding that they are going to try to sell you stuff.

[tgt40]

It's 5 year old house so no, we're not worried previous 'warranty' just expired. I'd go with the warranty transfer and let the chips fall, but there are others to consider

Thanks very much for the information, very informative and helpful!

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by tgt40

It's 5 year old house so no, we're not worried previous 'warranty' just expired. I'd go with the warranty transfer and let the chips fall, but there are others to consider

Thanks very much for the information, very informative and helpful!

The nice thing about getting a warranty is that somebody else is on the hook if you happen to get that persistent colony that just won't go away. If you wait until you have termite tubes poking down from the ceiling, the termite guys will all come out & treat your house (for a fee), but if it takes several treatments, it's on you & a $300 "spot treatment" isn't going to work if termites are dropping tubes from the ceiling. Add a zero & maybe you'll get rid of them, maybe not. That said, I don't think you'll get a huge infestation unless you ignore obvious tubes for several years. The thing is, if you have a pro checking annually under a warranty, they're not going to let it get that bad. I've probably spent too much on preventative treatments & inspections, but the termite dudes have found tubes that I wouldn't have spotted myself until they got worse.

The other side of it is, that everything a licensed termite guy does gets put into a state database that future buyers can search. I wouldn't run from a house that showed a preventative treatment, or even a minor past infestation, but I *did* run from one that showed multiple treatments & infestations in just a few years - the report that the pros write will say, "infestation, west wall", etc - the reports for the house I almost bought showed all four walls & a couple of different licensed termite dudes throwing hundreds of gallons of termiticides at it. That, along with recent stucco repairs & painting made me wonder how much house was left & if those termites could be beaten. I decided that paying a hundred-ish bucks a year to keep a warranty in effect indefinitely was worth it to me, if nothing else than to be able to tell a future buyer I did everything I could to keep them out & if you find termites, call xyz termite guy- it's his problem.