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We just put a bid on our dream home. It's a 10 y/o Centex-built home with partial brick front and vinyl siding. It's NEVER been exterminated (seller's admission). The inspector found one termite in the crawl space. There was a little decay on the corner of the door which was most likely termite lunch. Our inspector doesn't think the house has 'significant termite damage' and that we 'shouldn't worry.' But I'm from the cold north where termites are virtually non-existent. Any tips or advice on this subject?
We also found mold in the crawl space and are wondering if this is an issue since we have a small child. HELP!
Read the fine print in your inspection report - these home inspections are NOT guaranteed and home inspectors cannot be held liable. So YOU need to make the decision about digging deeper into these problems. Termite damage is often hidden. Your inspector does not know the extent of the damage. If you don't treat it now and you find more damage after closing, there is not a thing you can do about it.
My advice is to get both treated at the seller's expense. Get rid of the problems NOW if they are indeed small problems. Or run away!
We found a termite in our mulch once and freaked out and called our exterminator. He checked things out and just laughed and said that if you looked hard enough, you'd find termites everywhere and that he didn't think we had any kind of problem that required treatment. Three years later, and he's right--there's been no termite damage to our home whatsoever. I just quit scrutinizing the mulch I'm sure there's more out there.
I have to agree with the PP, you will find termites if you look hard enough, they are everywhere. There is a difference between a termite problem and finding a termite or two. I would probably request that the seller hire an extermination company to do an independent evaluation.
We just put a bid on our dream home. It's a 10 y/o Centex-built home with partial brick front and vinyl siding. It's NEVER been exterminated (seller's admission). The inspector found one termite in the crawl space. There was a little decay on the corner of the door which was most likely termite lunch. Our inspector doesn't think the house has 'significant termite damage' and that we 'shouldn't worry.' But I'm from the cold north where termites are virtually non-existent. Any tips or advice on this subject?
We also found mold in the crawl space and are wondering if this is an issue since we have a small child. HELP!
I haven't seen anything scary yet. Try to make a good judgement based on the facts. Termites and mold are too often fodder for emotions.
Either can be a serious problem but your description of the termite issue makes it sound very minor.
The home had an original termite treatment, by law, which may have reached the end of its service life. Sounds like it is time for a treatment.
The newer biodegradable chemicals are not lifetime treatments like the old Chlordane was, so they fail, often even earlier than ten years.
Mold of some type is everywhere. Your agent should be able to help you find a good mold testing firm and a mold remediation firm. They can help you with qualified advice and tell if you should have the inside air tested.
I'd be worried about the mold and small children. Yes, you can find 'some' type of mold anywhere if you look hard, but there are many molds that can cause serious respiratory problems and ongoing health issues. This is a huge problem with homes in the South which have been built completely wrongly for years.
Specifically, it was only a few years ago that it began to be accepted that ventilating the crawlspace is the wrong approach and only last October that the local building code started accepting the sealed crawlspace approach. Basically AC will suck moisture into the crawlspace where it creates a great breeding ground for molds. (see www.crawlspaces.org if you're interested in the science).
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I 2nd the opinion that you might want to have the home looked at by an inspector. Older homes seldom have treated lumber in them, and I can attest to the fact that my dad has a rental house that upon initial inspection seemed sound, but later on we discocvered that 2 entire walls were eaten completely, requiring us to tear both walls out and hold the end of the house up with jacks until new ones were built. Lotsa fun!
Hate to say it but I would walk away. There will always be another house!!
IF you have mold it could cause you illness and if not that, then it could prevent you from selling yourself in the future. If there's mold in the crawlspace??...sounds very risky.
The termites is not so bad because you would have to get termite treament program going for just about anywhere you live. it's not likely in a young house (But I'm no expert!) that they have caused much bad damage.
But that said, the MOLD...that's a bad thing to find. Maybe the seller will pay for a mold inspection? The only thing is, they probably won't, because whatever bad they find, they are responsible for it.
I've owned two homes and am about to add one to that total. All three of them had/have some mold, somewhere in the house. There are varying degrees of mold and different types as well.
Some mold in a contained area isn't necessarily cause for alarm. The real issue is identifying the factors that allowed the mold to develop and making sure they're properly addressed. My current home has always had some mold in the finished basement from an old leak fixed years ago. We had the air tested in the playroom and everything was fine.
As for termites, they're always going to be found on your property unless you live in a brick house with concrete surrounding the house. Just like you're going to have spiders and sugar ants and what not unless you take proper measures.
Inspection reports are entertaining in a way that Wes Craven/Alfred Hitchcock movies tend to be. If the inspection you referenced wasn't a termite-specific one, get one done. Otherwise, be glad that was the worst of it.
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I'm sure there's more out there.
