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Old 11-28-2016, 09:44 PM
 
Location: LEAVING CD
22,974 posts, read 26,925,180 times
Reputation: 15644

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Having had 2 homes with termites, the first one having a large infestation I can tell you it wouldn't worry me as long as 3 things happened. 1. The infestation was taken care of by a reputable company using Termador. 2. The current owner told me where and how bad the infestation was. 3. I had a thorough inspection of surrounding areas to see if there was any residual damage that was missed.
I live in a subdivision that was built back in 2006 and a whole bunch of my neighbors have had termites over the last year or so as the original treatment has or is wearing off.
Every person who's not had a retreat yet WILL have termites (probably soon as those that retreated will chase them elsewhere) so everyone who will or has bought any house here will be in the same position as the house you're looking at.

It sounds like the house fits everything you're looking for and otherwise is a good deal for you. Have an expert look it over and either sooth your mind or kill the deal for you. Either way it's a small price to pay for solid information on a large purchase.
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Old 11-28-2016, 10:28 PM
 
Location: State of Transition
102,113 posts, read 107,301,106 times
Reputation: 115921
Quote:
Originally Posted by sxm078100 View Post
I did not mean I don't want to pay for inspection, I can but first I wanted to get idea about pros and cons of buying such house.
The point of getting the bug inspection, by a pro bug guy, not a generic home inspector, is to get his opinion on whether the treatment the owner did has had any effect. The pest inspector should be able to tell you whether there are signs of recent pest activity or not. Depending on his evaluation, you might proceed with the purchase. Otherwise, I wouldn't buy a house like that. I wouldn't even consider it, but since you like the house, you could consider it ONLY if you get a professional pest inspector's opinion.
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Old 11-29-2016, 09:47 AM
 
Location: Sonoran Desert
39,019 posts, read 51,043,821 times
Reputation: 28208
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zippyman View Post
Burns pest control will do a termite check for free if you dont require a "termite certification" for your mortgage - i think it's like $70 if you need the cert.

As for termites causing "expensive" damage, not really, unless they're ignored for a very long time - i've personally seen where they bored through real wood to get to the drywall paper. I also bought something from a dude on craigslist once, and the termites there went all the way through the guy's garage wall to eat the cardboard he left sitting on the floor of his garage (for years)..

I had my homes treated even though they had no current infestations, and if you pay a "re inspect" fee every year, most termite dudes will provide a "warranty" - just keep in mind that warranty is only as good as the company behind it.

But to answer the op's direct question, the same report that told you the house was treated, should also tell you where and why - i.e., "infestation, south wall". Termites are also a disclosure item in AZ - if you had them, you have to tell.. can't play stupid or lie about it.

Just my opinion, based on the deals I've done here - if an 80's or 90's house has no termite treatment records, somebody probably wasn't checking for termites, or they were ignoring an active infestation. I even saw one house listed on MLS a few years back that had a "garden" added, with dirt stacked against the stucco and a termite swarm on the back of the house, and when I told the listing agent, he was like "what?".. thousands of active termites pouring out of the house & swarming, and the agent claimed he didn't know.
You raise a good point. Termites prefer drywall paper over studs. It is common to see tubes running up interior walls where they are active. Of course, you can only see one side of the wall.

The other thing is that the warranties don't retreat unless they see signs of termites (tubes) aka an infestation. I suppose if someone diligently had pesticides applied every couple years it would be possible to avoid termites completely. But I know of cases where the treatment only lasted a year.

Bottom line. Check for tubes along the slab. Treat if you see them and don't get worked up about it unless it was neglected for years. One is better off buying a home that has a history of treatment and no current infestation than one that has signs of infestation and no history of treatment after the build.
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Old 11-29-2016, 10:50 AM
 
Location: Tempe, AZ
1,484 posts, read 3,130,539 times
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Is it possible to get a certification if you've done the treatment yourself? A couple years back I had the first signs of termites in my garage. I did my research and they were subterranean termites. I received multiple quotes for treatment and was able to do it myself at a fraction of the cost using the same methods and chemical (termidor sc). It was extremely labor intensive, especially drilling all of the holes in the concrete that surrounds my home. All signs of termite activity stopped soon after and haven't seen any since.

Since it is obvious that my house was treated will there be any issues when I choose to sell (possibly next year) because the work was performed by myself?
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Old 11-29-2016, 04:25 PM
 
Location: LEAVING CD
22,974 posts, read 26,925,180 times
Reputation: 15644
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bungle View Post
Is it possible to get a certification if you've done the treatment yourself? A couple years back I had the first signs of termites in my garage. I did my research and they were subterranean termites. I received multiple quotes for treatment and was able to do it myself at a fraction of the cost using the same methods and chemical (termidor sc). It was extremely labor intensive, especially drilling all of the holes in the concrete that surrounds my home. All signs of termite activity stopped soon after and haven't seen any since.

Since it is obvious that my house was treated will there be any issues when I choose to sell (possibly next year) because the work was performed by myself?
Probably not given that there's no proof it was applied correctly. All anyone could honestly say is "there's no termite activity observed" and you'd be asking for someone to put their butt on the line.
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Old 11-29-2016, 04:52 PM
 
Location: Sonoran Desert
39,019 posts, read 51,043,821 times
Reputation: 28208
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimj View Post
Probably not given that there's no proof it was applied correctly. All anyone could honestly say is "there's no termite activity observed" and you'd be asking for someone to put their butt on the line.
They are there or they are not there. The termite report would say they aren't if that is the case. Why would the buyer care? A buyer might get away with asking for a professional treatment regardless. It's not expensive enough to kill a sale most likely And if the buyer was worried, they could hire someone to go poke the timbers looking for damage like the OP is thinking about.
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Old 11-29-2016, 06:12 PM
 
Location: LEAVING CD
22,974 posts, read 26,925,180 times
Reputation: 15644
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ponderosa View Post
They are there or they are not there. The termite report would say they aren't if that is the case. Why would the buyer care? A buyer might get away with asking for a professional treatment regardless. It's not expensive enough to kill a sale most likely And if the buyer was worried, they could hire someone to go poke the timbers looking for damage like the OP is thinking about.
I agree with the cost/killing the deal thing, I just paid $450 for termite with 2 year guarantee on a 2500 sqft home.
Fair price from my perspective given the digging/drilling work plus the cost of the Termador, not something I'd kill a deal over...
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Old 11-29-2016, 10:01 PM
 
Location: Rural Michigan
6,343 posts, read 14,634,828 times
Reputation: 10548
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bungle View Post
Is it possible to get a certification if you've done the treatment yourself? A couple years back I had the first signs of termites in my garage. I did my research and they were subterranean termites. I received multiple quotes for treatment and was able to do it myself at a fraction of the cost using the same methods and chemical (termidor sc). It was extremely labor intensive, especially drilling all of the holes in the concrete that surrounds my home. All signs of termite activity stopped soon after and haven't seen any since.

Since it is obvious that my house was treated will there be any issues when I choose to sell (possibly next year) because the work was performed by myself?
i'd just disclose the treatment & go from there - when a pro treats a house, they're required to list what they used, how many gallons, where it was applied & why in a report to the office of pest management. Id expect a buyer to look a little closer without that info, but you either have termites or you don't, so if the current status of the home is "no termites" then there's no issue. Nobody is going to give you a warranty on diy work, but they can certify that there arent active termites - and most lenders dont require a cert anyway anymore.
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Old 11-30-2016, 07:33 AM
 
Location: Tempe, AZ
1,484 posts, read 3,130,539 times
Reputation: 2380
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zippyman View Post
i'd just disclose the treatment & go from there - when a pro treats a house, they're required to list what they used, how many gallons, where it was applied & why in a report to the office of pest management. Id expect a buyer to look a little closer without that info, but you either have termites or you don't, so if the current status of the home is "no termites" then there's no issue. Nobody is going to give you a warranty on diy work, but they can certify that there arent active termites - and most lenders dont require a cert anyway anymore.
Thanks...that's the info I was looking for. I didn't want to get screwed for doing the work myself. I hate paying someone to do something I can handle on my own.
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Old 12-02-2016, 05:26 PM
 
3,110 posts, read 2,949,708 times
Reputation: 2959
I thought creating a barrier perimeter with stakes was a big part if it and a fairly simple DIY.
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