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Hello!
I am in a process of active house search.
The house I loved most (built in 1991) had some termite issues in the past, according to the seller's disclosure. Treatment has been performed several years ago by a certified treatment company, but I have no idea how severe the damage was.
I am OK if it was something minor that doesn't affect structural strength. But what if there is something significant? Will regular termite inspection determine that? What kind of tools/methods do they use in termite inspections?
Of course I am going to do termite inspection, but I would like to know real experience if someone bought houses previously treated for termites and if there were any associated problems over the years.
My wife is a certified home inspector and we live in the same city as you. Termite damage is exceedingly common in Houston, especially in older homes, because the weather is ideal for termites to live and breed. Termite damage can be minimal or invasive but if the home was adequately treated and the termites didn't invade the interior structures too deeply the home should be fine. Termite (actually known as wood destroying insect) is a different license in the state of Texas so normally a termite inspection is separate from the regular home inspection. She uses two termite inspectors: one is a University of Texas entomologist and the other is very experienced and has been in the field a long time. Assuming you're buying in Houston, I can pass their names along if you send me a pm.
My wife is a certified home inspector and we live in the same city as you. Termite damage is exceedingly common in Houston, especially in older homes, because the weather is ideal for termites to live and breed. Termite damage can be minimal or invasive but if the home was adequately treated and the termites didn't invade the interior structures too deeply the home should be fine. Termite (actually known as wood destroying insect) is a different license in the state of Texas so normally a termite inspection is separate from the regular home inspection. She uses two termite inspectors: one is a University of Texas entomologist and the other is very experienced and has been in the field a long time. Assuming you're buying in Houston, I can pass their names along if you send me a pm.
Thank you very much for the response! I will get back to you for the names as soon as I confirm that house (will check a couple more).
There's an old joke that houses on the Texas coast all get termites and no one has ever seen a house fall down because of it. You also want to ask if they have kept up preventative treatments since it was originally fixed. I know my house came with a warranty from the treatment company that if I treated every six months if they came back they'd pay for any repairs.
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