Is Your House Vacant, or Not?

Termites build "termite highways", commonly known as shelter tubes, to move back and forth from their colony to their food source.  These tubes are constructed of a combination of saliva, mud, and feces, and can range in color from light beige to a reddish brown.
The size of these tunnels or tubes can be several feet long and branching in different directions, or can be a slim track, only 1/8" wide and a couple of inches long.  They can be tough to spot, as is shown in the video below.

It pays to hire a licensed termite inspector.  Their trained eyes know where to look, and can detect even the smallest of termite signs.

Is Your Termite Report All Wet?

Does rain effect my termite report?

Yes, it can in several ways.  Some of the more obvious ways are standing water in or around the home.  If there is a roof leak and water is pouring out of the ceiling, this will show up on the termite report.  Also, water around the exterior of the house will be on the report as standing water, but can lead to an inaccessible/further inspection call (IA/FI).

Rain or water up against a home can remove and/or reduce the evidence of termites.  For example, a Subterranean termite mud tube can almost get washed away with rain.  This might sound kind of nice from a report stand point, until the termites come back after the home is closed when the buyers move in.  These are not very pleasant calls.

Water stains resulting from rain cause many problems.  The call is EM/WS, Excessive Moisture/Water Stain.   This is a pretty common call, but can be very challenging to deal with.  The home could have a brand new roof that was replaced several years ago.  But if the water stain was never taken care of, it is now your problem to resolve.

We need rain in the desert, but it does effect termite reports.  Just beware that the results from a termite inspection can be skewed from rain, past or present.

The Circus Is Here???

Fumigation tents for Wood Destroying Insects often look like circus tents.  They are big and usually different colors.  But that is where the similarity stops.  Take a look at the video below.  It shows a neighborhood home that is enclosed in fumigation tents.  The tents are put over and around the home to seal in the fumigant which will permeate throughout the entire home.  Beetles and Drywood termites are the most common reason for fumigating a home.  The process works very well.  Here are a couple of negatives:  You must move out for a day or two, plants and shrubs close to the home are often trampled over, the price is very expensive, and there is no residual material left in the structure to prevent future infestation.

Termites and Real Estate Signs

You ask yourself, what do termites and real estate signs have in common?  It turns out a lot.

We recently did a termite inspection at a home in Phoenix.  There were no signs of termites, except in the garage.  There was a real estate sign laying down, with evidence of Subterranean termites on the end of the sign post.

Now you may be asking yourself, so what?  When a termite inspector does an inspection, and sees evidence of Wood-destroying Insects (termites, etc.) we must mark them on the report on line 8A.  So, when some on pulls out the real estate sign and places it in the house or around the exterior, this may be causing an unwanted termite report issue for you.

This situation may sound like one in a million.  Think again.  This exact scenario happens two to three times a year!

So what is the solution?  Metal signs, no signs, leave them in the ground?  That is up to you, we are just making you aware of the potential problem.

Knowledge is power.

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.