Buying a home is likely one of the most significant decisions you will make in your life. It is not only the biggest financial decision most people will ever make, but it also has serious ramifications for your happiness in your day-to-day life. A house is not just an investment, it is also where you will live every day!
Buying a house with unseen upkeep and repair costs can lead to a huge drain on your finances and cause headaches for years to come. Termites cause a whopping 5 billion dollars of damage to American homes every single year. That’s more than fires, earthquakes, and tornadoes combined! We want to help you take every possible step to avoid putting your hard-earned money into that 5 billion dollar pile.
Buying a house is a key part of the American Dream. Do not let your American Dream turn into a Termite Nightmare! Take the necessary steps to be certain your new home is termite-free before buying and avoid needing termite extermination.
What Exactly Are Termites?
Termites, also known as coptotermes formosanus, are small insects usually between one-eighth of an inch and a full inch long. They range in color from white to brown to black. They may seem harmless, as they do not bite or sting humans, but they are a significant danger to your home.
Termites’ main source of food is dead plant material, especially wood. This means they quite literally eat your house!
Why Worry? It’s Just A Few Bugs
A termite infestation can not only leave unsightly holes in your house’s exposed wood finishings and floors, but they can literally damage the structural integrity of your house. If termites eat through enough of the weight-bearing structures in your home, it is at very serious risk of partial or complete collapse.
This is not only a catastrophic financial burden but a serious safety risk! Repairing a home with termite damage can cost thousands and thousands of dollars and there is no guarantee that the termites will not come back.
Signs of Infestation
Discarded Wings
When examining a home there are a few key signs of termites that can alert you to an infestation. The first is discarded insect wings around the home. Every spring, termite colonies produced winged termites to leave their colony and start new colonies elsewhere. If you find any wings within your home, beware! This represents a high probability that the house is infested.
Mud Tubes
This sign of termite infestation is actually found outside the home. Mud tubes are used by termites to travel around in search of food. The tubes are about the width of a number two pencil and are likely to be found leading towards your home. They are also a sign of active infestation of a home.
Termite “Dust”
A house with an active termite infection will often have mysterious little piles of “dust” around the house. This dust, which is often confused for sawdust, is actually termite excrement and is referred to as “termite frass” in the extermination business. It is a nearly guaranteed sign that the house is currently infested with termites.
Wood Damage
When inspecting a home before purchase, make sure to take extra care to examine the wood as this is the primary target of termites. Start by doing a visual check for damage on all the wood in the house. And we mean all of it! Do not forget to go into any attics, basements, or crawl spaces.
The most obvious sign will be pencil-sized tubes throughout the wood. If you see any of these the house certainly had an infestation at some point and there is likely much more damage.
In many cases, termite wood damage is not visible to the naked eye. One trick is to knock on wood as you would someone’s front door. If the wood makes a very “hollow” sound, almost like a drum, that too is a telltale sign of prior or current termite infestation.
Don’t Get Tricked By New Construction
If you are looking at a brand new home that has never had anyone live in it, it may be easy to rationalize that there are unlikely to be any termites in it. This could not be further from the truth. Homes are at risk of termite infection at any point in their lifespan. Do not risk it! Regardless of the age of the home, be sure to do your due diligence and check for termites.
Finding Termite Infestations Takes Skill
In all likelihood, you are not an expert in identifying termite infestations. In fact, you very well may have never seen a termite in your life! Many of the signs and signals are very subtle and take a trained eye to identify with high confidence.
With the unbelievably high cost of housing and the significant time commitment that comes with buying a home, one should really take the necessary time and care to hire a true expert to inspect a home before buying it. A professional termite inspection will always be cheaper than repairing the damage caused by an unseen termite infestation.
TermiGuard Services: The Experts You Need For True Peace Of Mind
Fortunately, the highly trained and experienced experts at TermiGuard Services are exactly who you need to inspect your home for termites before purchasing. They will examine every inch of your prospective new home at a reasonable cost. With TermiGuard’s help, you will be able to buy with great confidence and never worry that your dream home will become dinner for a bunch of termites!
Do not risk it! Buying a home uninspected is a gamble no one should take.
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