Many home inspectors offer termite inspections as part of their service, but are they properly trained with the correct N.Y.S. applicators license? Some inspectors who have had experience working for termite companies will offer a ‘free’ termite inspection as part of their home inspection service, which means it is built into the price - a typical sales gimmick.
In our opinion, whether the termite inspection is supposedly 'free' should not be the criteria for this oh-so-important part of having a home properly inspected. Would you rather have a home inspector with some training, or who worked for a termite company once, performing your termite inspection? Unless you have an applicator's license and can treat homes and businesses with pesticides, in our opinion, you are not qualified to perform termite inspections. We always bring a separate termite company with us that are full service pest control companies, and we wouldn't have it any other way!
Not only termites can cause damage to homes, but so do carpenter ants, carpenter bees and powder post beetles. These insidious creatures are very efficient at causing damage, so we are always are on the lookout for evidence of these insects. Termites build what are known as shelter tubes or mud tubes (see picture above).
These are the conduits through which termites travel, and many times they are spotted in the most difficult to see areas, but can also be quite obvious. Many times when a termite inspector enters the house, they immediately head for the area behind the front or rear steps – one of the most common areas where termites enter. Other common entry points are where piping enters the foundation, or where the pit for the main plumbing trap is located. Wooden covers over these pits are like ‘ringing the dinner bell’ for termites. We always recommend wood covers be replaced with metal covers that are not attractive to termites. We always recommend the buyer maintain a contract with a licensed pest control company for two reasons.
1- You obviously do not want wood destroying insects causing damage while you live in the house, and
2- If you get these creatures in the structure of the home and they do cause damage, it will be much more difficult for you to sell the house when the time comes, because the buyer is almost certainly going to have the house inspected.
Why take a chance and be surprised? Call Meticulous Home Inspection, Long Island's Premier Home Inspection company, and your home buying partner!
