We Love To Mess With Realtors

We love to mess with realtors.  We enjoy destroying deals.  We take pride in me calling items that are deal killers.  We plant termites in houses to sell treatments.  We just make stuff up for the fun of it.

What is this, a confession?  No.  These are things that have been said to us by realtors, lenders, buyers, and sellers.
We gently remind people, we only call items on the homes in accordance with the rules and regulations set upon us by the State of Arizona.  Remember, we go to the house, and whatever condition the house is in, we report it.  We have a simple rule at our office; if it is there, report it.  If it is not there, don't report it.  The rule is simple, but the application is tricky.  People don't like it when we report the truth!

Now with this said, what is the solution?  Several things come to mind.  Why not have the seller order and pay for a termite inspection when the house is listed?  This way, potential problems are known from the very beginning and can be addressed.  Another great idea is for realtors to get a real understanding of the termite reporting standards.  This way when you list the home, you can let the seller know this or that will need to be done.  For example, bushes touching the home.  The is an EC/PA (an earth to wood contact/plants abutting structure).  If you mention this to the seller upfront, they then can trim the bushes back a few inches.  This will reduce extra calls on the report.

Here is the bottom line:  The termite report reflects the true condition of the house.  Now, do you want to deal with it during the time crunch of financing or upfront beforehand, with time on your side?

Question From The Field About Condos

Question:  I am selling a condo that your termite inspector indicated has termites.  My condo is an upstairs unit.  The termites are on the unit down stairs.  Why did my termite report show termites?

Answer:  This is a great question.  Your upper unit condo and the lower unit have an exterior common wall.  So termites on the bottom unit are going to reflect on your report.  Subterranean termites can go up into multiple stories pretty easily.  I have personally seen termites in the 6th floor of a condo complex.

Keep the great questions coming!

Why Did You Call That On The Termite Report?

This is a very common question, sometimes delivered with a lot of emotion.  We get asked, Why did you call that old termite stain?  Why did you call the dry water stain on the ceiling? Why this, Why that.  The answer is always the same.  We are supposed to call these things.

A lot of people believe a termite report is just about active termites.  Wrong!  Let me explain.  First of all it is not a termite report.  Yes, that is exactly what I said.  The actual report is a Wood Destroying Insect Inspection Report (W.D.I.I.R.).  Beside being called a termite report, I have heard it referred to as a wood report, clear report, clearance letter, termite certification, etc.  Termites are one of the most important aspects of the report, so that probably is where the name termite report comes from. 

The W.D.I.I.R. essentially has 3 major parts:

1.)  Evidence of Wood Destroying Insect.
2.)  Conducive Conditions.
3.)  Inaccessible areas.

Evidence of Wood Destroying Insects is pretty cut and dry.  You either have evidence of Wood Destroying Insects (8A) or no evidence (8B).

Conducive Conditions are reported items that could lead to possible Wood Destroying Insect Infestation.  Examples are earth to wood contact, faulty grades, etc. This is usually the category we get the most calls on.  Here are some of the most common questions:

Question: Why did you call the the plant/shrubs/trees/vines touching the house?
Answer:  Because it is earth to wood contact.

Question:  Why did you call the fence?  It doesn't have termites.
Answer:  It is an earth to wood contact.

Question:  Why did you call the basement?
Answer:  The basement floor is below the grade level on the outside of the house, thus it is a Faulty Grade.

Question:  You called a water strain on the ceiling?  What does that have to do with the termite report?
Answer:  A water stain comes under the category of Excessive Moisture (number 18 on page 2 of the report).  It is on the report, thus we have to call it.

The last section of the report is Inaccessible areas.  This is a list of all the areas we couldn't see.  Everything from not being able to see through walls to the Pit bull guarding the interior of the house.  If we can't inspect it, it should be here.

The Bottom Line
The W.D.I.I.R. is a 3 page report.  The format of the report is written by our regulators, the Office of Pest Management (OPM).  Doing the inspection is a lot like a pregnancy test.  (stick with me on this one).  A pregnancy test tells you if you are pregnant or not pregnant, that is it. 
When we do an inspection, either that call is there, or it is not.  For example, if I inspect a house with a basement, it is a Faulty Grade.  Very straight forward.  It is not saying that the basement is bad, or good, just that the basement is there.

What does 8B Really Mean?

Here is what it says on the W.D.I.I.R. (termite report):

8B "No visible evidence of infestation from wood-destroying insects was observed."

Let's break it down.

Visible - This is what the termite inspector can see.

Evidence - This list consists of, but not limited to:  tubes, tube stains, fecal pellets, termites, etc.

Wood-Destroying Insects - Subterranean termites, drywood termites, carpenter ants, carpenter bees, wood-destroying beetles.

When you see 8B on the report it means that no visible evidence of wood-destroying insects was noted at the time of inspection.

The key word is visible.  Here is a partial list of areas that can't be seen:  below carpet, tile, stone, wood floors, below throw rugs, in walls, behind paneling, wall paper, behind pictures, in the attic (below insulation, behind mechanical equipment, around pipes, around wiring, around conduits, or stored items in attic), in crawl spaces (below insulation, behind mechanical equipment, around pipes, around wiring, around conduits, or stored items in crawl space), under stairs, behind storage, personal items, furniture, parked cars in garage.  There are literally tons of areas that can't be effectively inspected.

When you read the report and 8B is marked, don't fall into a common misconception that "I have no termites".  This is not always the case.  It just means when the inspection was done "no visible evidence of Wood-Destroying Insects was observed" at the time of inspection.

The following statement is on the termite report.  The Statement of Purchaser, page 1, right above the Signature line of the purchaser.   I understand that this is not a structural damage fungi/mold report, or a warranty as to the absence of wood-destroying insects.

Plain and Simple, 8B does not mean there are no termites in the home.  It means that the inspector could not see termites at the time of inspection.

Question From The Field

Question:

How come you don't put the buyer's name on the termite report?  After all, they pay you to do the report.

Answer:

The simple answer is:  there is no place for the buyer's name on the report.  If you look at section 5A (Name of Property Owner/Seller) the form doesn't ask for the buyers name.  Termite Inspectors simply fill out the pre-printed report.  If we put the buyers name there, we would be in violation of submitting an inaccurate W.D.I.I.R. (termite report)

Excessive Moisture - The Most Misleading Call On The Report

The title says it all!  It gives the impression that water is coming through the roof or the house is flooded.

Let's take a simple water stain under the sink, a very common situation.  A termite inspector sees this and has to call EM/WS.  Translated it is Excessive Moisture/Water Stain. 
You are probably asking why call a stain Excessive Moisture?  Excessive Moisture is the category title.  So when you want to call a water stain, you automatically get the Excessive Moisture.
It is like when you buy a vehicle, say a F150 truck or a Mustang.  The official title of the vehicle is Ford F150 or Ford Mustang.  You don't get one without the other.

The category of Excessive Moisture has several different calls in it; water stains, water damage, plumbing leak, roof leak, standing water (definitely an excessive moisture call), etc.  Unfortunately we have to live with the wording.  The report structure and wording is set up by the OPM (Office of Pest Management).  What we can do is try to describe the calls a little bit more in detail.  For example, with the EM/WS above, we can put on the report that the water stain was "dry at the time of inspection".  Another phrase we frequently use for exterior calls is:  "this is a common call for this area".  These additional words seem to help readers (especially lender/banks/etc) understand that a lot of the excessive moisture calls are fairly routine calls.  We regularly include pictures of the calls in the report.  Not for every call, but a sample of the calls.  So when a lender sees EM/WS on the report, further in the report he/she will see a picture of the call.

Below are a few photo and video examples of Excessive Moisture/Water Stains.

What Is Behind Your Wall?

Detecting termites can be problematic, as much of the time the activity is going on behind your walls.  Wood paneling, drywall, painted surfaces, etc., can all cover up the presence of termites, preventing detection until they appear on the surface in the form of trails and tubes. 

It is important to remember that even if you don't see them, you may still have them, especially in a region where termite populations are high.
Arizona residents often will remark, "when it comes to termites, it's not IF you will have them, it's WHEN."

Treating your home for termites before they are detected is a good preventative measure for avoiding costly damage to your home.  Take a look at this brief video showing termite damage behind a wall.