Long story short, my buddy is scheduled to close escrow on his house in about a week, he got the pest report today and is freaking out. Basically the house has termites and with the report was an estimate for about $2600 for tenting and another $1500 or so for repairs of some damage. Most of it seemed to be on one side of the house, something like 30' of fascia boards, 30' of trim boards and 3 panels of siding. (wood sided house). Now he is freaking out and wondering if he should go through with the deal. The house is a short sale and his realtor is going to ask the bank to pay for part of the tenting or something, but doubts that will happen. He is just reall afraid of extensive damage and buying a money pit. if the siding gets removed then finds out the framing needs to be replaced then thats huge.

He wants to look at the damaged areas with the termite guy to get a better understanding of whats going on, but is freaking out pretty bad right now. Think he is over reacting or does he have a legitimate cause for concern?

Any input from the experts would be greatly appreciated. The house is located in Ramona if any experts would be willing to do another inspection with him. He would pay of course.

Thanks,

Ian

Contact Legit Duner I am sure he will help out or give a second opinion.

Depending on the size of the house it may not be that bad.

Just about all homes around here have termites it just depends on how they are managed.


Brandon

Legit Duner is an exterminator, I've heard great things about him.

Just PM'd Legit...Thanks

Although Im surprised it has gotten this far in process before the termites were found, there is a saying in AZ:

"There are two types of houses in AZ, those with termites, and those homes that will get termites"

Have your buddy think of the savings hes getting on the house and that will more than offset the termite treatment.

Forgot to add. House is a 2 story about 2400 sq. ft.

I know the main reason why he is stressing so hard now is because he went a bit over budget getting this place because it was the best place that he saw after looking for months. He put his offer in mid May and was suprised the deal went through so fast.

i found sub terrain termites in my house shortly after i bought it. inspectors never found them during the termite inspection as they dont check for them, only the flying ones. at first the damage didnt look to bad but the more i tore into it the worse it got. the house turned into a money pit for me at that point that i never recovered from till i walked away from it.

Man, Who the heck did your inspection. Sub's should always be caught in any inspection... That sucks.

1. A good inspector will catch subterranean as well as drywood termites. Subs are a much nastier beast in my experience, but also rarer in SoCal. They'll form tubes and tunnel up from underground (hence their name), and require soil treatment around the house as well as wood treatment.

2. Most termite guys will tend to overestimate wood work, as they typically only handle spot treatment and fumigation (tenting), subbing out the wood repairs to someone else. If you've got a buddy with carpentry skills (Ian - you're probably that buddy), chances are the work can be done cheaper by a third party.

3. Legit Duner is absolutely the man - I've had him in houses that are a nightmare to inspect, and I've called him out last-second for treatment and second opinions, he's come through for me in a big way and I've got to give props where due. I've even made him go all the way to Ramona for me (the Estates, no less).

4. If $4100 is a make-or-break amount on the house, your buddy is probably buying the wrong house, or buying it for the wrong reasons. I don't advise anyone in this market that isn't a seasoned pro to buy anything they intend to own for less than 10 years - at that you're looking at $410/yr, or less than $20/mo. Negligible.

5. Don't expect the bank to cover the termite. They're probably offended that an inspection was even done - this coming from a guy that worked on the bank's side for 3 years and on the buyer's side for 7+.

Depending on where those Termites where found, that Termite Company was responsible for them and any damage they caused..
They are not only responsible for ALL termites but also conditions conducive of, plumbing leaks, roof leaks, faulty grades, we even have to mention vegetation overgrowth... Storage... Foundation cracks, etccc.. Almost everything a home Inspector does minus appliances and code issues.
Sorry I didn't hear about this, I would have fought for ya on that one...

I PM'd Ian..
Thanks everybody for the props... It puts a smile on my face..

this was back in 2004. they came thru a crack in the slab under the kitchen cabinet that shared a wall with a bathroom. there wasnt any signs of them until i tore out the cabinets and some drywall in the bathroom.

water under the bridge now. learned alot of lessons with that turd of a house

Next time you know who to call Kevin...


A bit of advice for Ian and anybody who finds themselves in this position..
DO NOT start calling a bunch of different Termite Inspectors.. Each inspector will find more and more, they are especially cautious when they know other inspectors have been there and we all leave our mark there whether you see it or not..
They all have to make a report and submit it to the state.. I've seen many deals blown because of too many reports and conflicting findings.

You have the choice of a secondary treatment.. You do not HAVE to tent.. The State considers Tent Fumigation the ONLY all encompassing treatment that works.. (VERY DEBATABLE) Everything else is considered substandard yet can be very effective...
They have done this so Homeowners do not become confused with all the gadgets and different methods.
80% of the time an "alternative" treatment is just fine, you can use foam, injection, heat, borates and a host of other things to get to kill them but there is always the houses that just flat out need a tent... Sometimes they are just too numerous.
Like mentioned, you can have your wood repairs done by whomever you wish.. No need for a licensed contractor, it can be you.. It just has to be done in a "workmanship like manner'..

If ian's buddy were to choose to do an alternative treatment and farm his repairs to a starving contractor, he could get that estimate cut in half and close escrow with a guarantee, no problem...
Hope that helps somebody!

^^ Yup.
Had some water/termite damage on our last house. Instead of paying the termite company to repair the damage, I did it myself. It was easy and passed inspection. They wanted some 1500 to do it. I did it in 2 days for around 400 in materials..

Thanks for the input. I passed the info along and is meeting Legit tomorrow at the house.