Are Termites Common In Phoenix Houses? (Tucson: rent, company, land)

[sunshinecities]

I am wondering if termite damage is common in houses in the Phoenix area - like it is in Tucson. In Tucson, I've been told, it's just about a given that you will have termites. They said new houses there come with a 5 yr. termite warranty. Do they do that for new houses in Phoenix too? What is your experience with termites and how prevelant they may be.

[Ponderosa]

They are just as common in Phoenix. Older houses (70s-early 80s) don't have much problem because the pre-treatments used were better.

In any case, this is another issue you should not lose sleep over. I've owned 6 houses here and never had termites in any of them and never had a terminate inspector/spray/etc. Termites are easy to eliminate and control. If you are worried, get a pest contract.

People create most of their own troubles with termites, by the way, by having vegetation close the the house or dripping faucets. Keep it dry for 18 inches and you likely won't have any problems with them.

[jlhct]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

They are just as common in Phoenix. Older houses (70s-early 80s) don't have much problem because the pre-treatments used were better.

In any case, this is another issue you should not lose sleep over. I've owned 6 houses here and never had termites in any of them and never had a terminate inspector/spray/etc. Termites are easy to eliminate and control. If you are worried, get a pest contract.

People create most of their own troubles with termites, by the way, by having vegetation close the the house or dripping faucets. Keep it dry for 18 inches and you likely won't have any problems with them.

As a matter of fact, my place which was built in the 70's had evidence of termites, even after the treatment. It was no big deal though like you said. The treatment was still covered under contract, they came out and retreated with no problem.

The guy from the termite company actually said something funny. He said, "it's not like 1 day you'll lean against a wall and it will come caving in...the kind of termites in AZ always leave you PLENTY of visual warning that they are present"

So in a weird way after making me laugh, it made me feel better

[sablebaby]

My old neighborhood that was built in the 70's had major issues with termites! Our house had them pretty bad and we had it treated in the 90's I believe. We had just put in tile throughout the house and in they come drilling every 12 inches all through the house! Uhg! My neighbor at the time had to replace an entire wall as they just ate through it. It was ALL through the neighborhood.

Yes, it is VERY common to have termites. I do not know anything about builders offering a 5yr warranty, I guess that depends on the builder. I just had a friend buy a home from the 80's with a "clean" termite inspection, now 6 months later she finds she's had them all along, but much worse now! I guess she had a bad inspector.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by sablebaby

My old neighborhood that was built in the 70's had major issues with termites!

OK, then never mind. No place is safe from these home devouring monsters!

[63ragtop]

I have a 70s house and have not noticed any termite problems. There were no termite issues during our home inspection when we bought it.

We do have a lot of fire ants. Outside, never inside.

[aj661]

It can depend on where your house was built. Homes built on former farm land will be less likely to be invaded than a home on previously raw desert. In fact, in over ten years in one of those houses I never saw termites. They showed up at my current place -built on desert land- after two years. It's easy to spot and take care of. You'll see mud tubes about 1/4 inch wide coming up from the ground on the foundation. I have a termite contract, so when they pop up, I call and they redo the barrier. I've found as a stop-gap all I have to do is dig a shallow trench and pour in some OTC insecticide. It shuts them down for months.

If you have scrap or fire wood lying around outside, keep it away from the house. I do an inspection myself every month to play it safe.