Buying house with previous (repaired) termite damage. Red flag? (Phoenix: condo, selling a home)

[Flavia84]

Looking at a house which was gutted and fully remodeled (I mean, FULLY gutted) in S.Tempe.

The repairs included termite damage repairs. That's all the information I have.

Is that acceptable? Common in this area? I'm currently in a condo which has ants crawling around...

[MalteseJane]

I don't know what you mean by gutted. Do you mean it has been covered with a kind of tent to kill the termites ? If the house has been treated and remodeled there should not be any problem.

[Flavia84]

Originally Posted by MalteseJane

I don't know what you mean by gutted. Do you mean it has been covered with a kind of tent to kill the termites ? If the house has been treated and remodeled there should not be any problem.

I'm not sure what they did exactly to fix the problem, but I'll try to find out.

Really bummed out about this since I heard termites is a no-go thing when buying a house

[wit-nit]

Termites are everywhere. There are homes with them now that people don't even know they have them.
If they had a legitimate licensed termite control do the work then you should be good to go for another 5+ years. Sometimes follow up treatments are required. Remodeling would/should have included replacement of damaged wood.
Can you find out who treated the residence, then you can call the company and get the full details and what their warranty is.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by Flavia84

I'm not sure what they did exactly to fix the problem, but I'll try to find out.

Really bummed out about this since I heard termites is a no-go thing when buying a house

Not around here. Any house that has been here for a while has probably had termites and termite treatments. The termites we usually see rarely do any serious damage unless neglected for years and years. The damage fixed could very likely be patching up the drywall cuz they love to eat the paper covering.

[stevek64]

We knew some neighbors where I live that were in a similar situation not so long ago. They told me they had to have a few sides/walls of their house completely torn apart, insulation/stucco removed, because there was so much termite damage. Big $/lots of work. I never found out how they found out about all the termite damage but it wasn't long after they bought their house they somehow discovered it.

If it were me in your situation and you really like this house/location, I would look at it in this way. Like you say, I would definitely want full disclosure/what was done and what was "gutted" in the house you're looking at from the seller. While it might sound scary that a house was "gutted" in large part, one could also look at your situation as you having basically new framing/stucco/insulation. And if it's an older house, all up to a higher level of code in building practices. Beyond the words of what someone discloses(or doesn't ), I would take the extra step and get someone who can scan the inside of the walls/structure to see if everything looks right under the surface. I'm not sure what the practice is called but if I were in your situation, it's something I would definitely spend $ on to verify beyond the words someone gives you if it's a house you are still interested in buying.

[azriverfan.]

I would stay away. I've seen these situations before. There are houses that look amazing and can't sell. When you see them in person with a realtor and ask why they can't sell, there are usually red flags associated with them. I learned a long time ago living in the Valley, there are no "deals" and if there are, you can be assured that a realtor or some investor will snatch it up way before you will ever see it. There is a reason people don't touch those houses. When it comes time to sell, it will be an issue. I would rather avoid the red flag now while you can.

[observer53]

From your initial post, it doesn't sound like the gutting was related to the termites, but was an extensive remodeling, with termite damage repair as a part of the process. I would ask for more details including the paperwork regarding the remodeling and particularly the termite damage repair. Get a qualified inspector involved if you are really interested in the house.

[PoppySead]

I highly doubt you will find a home in Tempe without some termite damage unless it's brand new. This one at least gives you the heads up to keep an eye out. Some just won't tell you. Most homes around Tempe are older.

[ShampooBanana]

Originally Posted by azriverfan.

I would stay away. I've seen these situations before. There are houses that look amazing and can't sell. When you see them in person with a realtor and ask why they can't sell, there are usually red flags associated with them. I learned a long time ago living in the Valley, there are no "deals" and if there are, you can be assured that a realtor or some investor will snatch it up way before you will ever see it. There is a reason people don't touch those houses. When it comes time to sell, it will be an issue. I would rather avoid the red flag now while you can.

Oh, there ARE deals. With so many homes on the market (and being in large, populated place like Phoenix) there is a lot of competition when selling a home. Investors and realtors aren't always the only ones to uncover the deals. In fact, if you know where to look and look diligently and quickly when new homes come on the market you can often snap them up before investors or realtors get a chance to see them and run any sort of analysis on them. I agree that there are oftentimes red flags when a nice looking home has been sitting on the market for a while, but not always. Sometimes it's just a matter of bad market timing, bad luck, or a bad realtor. Find a motivated seller and sometimes you can find a REALLY good deal.