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| Inspection procedures and reporting requirements can vary from state to state. Some states may allow for inspections of wood-destroying insects only (termites and wood borers) and other states may require that inspections be performed for all wood-destroying organisms (which include the wood rots). In the real estate community, the termite inspection is often referred to as a "pest inspection" which is actually a misnomer. A buyer or seller may get the impression that a "pest inspection" would cover all pests (roaches, ants, spiders etc.) when in actuality it does not. It only covers wood-destroying pests and/or organisms. Having said that, please check with your local pest control company, in your particular state, for the parameters of Termite/Wood-destroying organism inspection reporting. Inspections can take as little as 10 minutes or as long as 3 hours to perform for an average (1800 sq.ft.) home, depending upon what the inspector is hired to look for. If you simply have a question about a certain area of your home and are not interested in having a complete inspection of your entire home, then it could be a rather quick procedure. In the state of California, this would be considered a limited inspection with recommendation made to inspect the entire structure. Most of the time, these limited inspections are at no cost, however, not all pest control companies operate the same so check with your local pest control company for inspection costs. Termite inspections that are performed for a real estate transaction should not be limited inspections, but instead should be complete or full inspections (as described in the next few paragraphs). If you are purchasing a home in California and need a termite inspection report, then a complete inspection and reporting should be performed (not a limited report or limited inspection). An important note to buyers regarding a termite inspection report: If the report reveals that the home may have been occupied at the time of inspection, we would recommend ordering a "supplemental report". A supplemental report is an additional inspection of the areas of the property that were previously inaccessible. You, as a buyer, shouldn't sign off on a property that was not fully inspected due to furniture or stored items blocking walls or closets and garages that were too full to inspect properly. Termites are very common in California and you want to make certain that all the areas of the home were made available for inspection. We (as termite inspectors) also want to make sure that we have been given every opportunity to perform as thorough an inspection as possible. Remember also, that as good and thorough as we are at inspecting homes, we cannot see inside walls. There is the possibility that termites can exist within a wall, or wood member, and not show any outward signs that they are there. You may be familiar with the scenario of a homeowner who found termites in their recently purchased home when the termite inspection revealed no visible evidence, and the frustrations that they encountered. To help alleviate this type of situation, we offer a 1-year guarantee on all of our escrow complete termite reports. What this means is if you discover termites anywhere on the structure, within the first year of purchasing your home, you can simply call our office and we will send out a treatment crew to treat the infestation at no cost to you. Our 1 year guarantee is a treatment guarantee only and does not include hidden damage repairs. Damage repairs can be performed by our company at normal repair costs (call office for repair pricing). A complete home termite inspection would include inspecting all accessible exterior portions of the structure. The areas would have to be accessible with a standard 6 ft. step-ladder and normally include foundations, window/door trim, fascias, eave, soffits, rafter tails and patio/carport supporting. Termite inspectors are looking for evidence of wood-destroying organisms (knows as section I items in California) as well as conditions that are conducive to an infestation (known as section II items in California). Some homes may not have visible evidence of termites, borers or wood rots but have several conditions that are conducive to an infestation or decay and these conditions will be noted. Examples of conditions conducive to infestations would be exterior grade/soil levels higher than the mud sills, grading sloped towards the structure, excessive stucco cracking, wood-to-soil contacts with structural supports, loose wood debris beneath the home or up against the home, plumbing leaks and insufficient clearance in a crawlspace area. A complete interior inspection would also include viewing all walls, window ledges, closets, stairwell closets, beneath cabinets (if practical), all cabinet drawers in bathrooms/kitchens, all walls of garage and accessible portions of the attic. You can see why it is so important that the home be as accessible as possible to allow for a thorough inspection. In fact - and if we had our way - we would suggest that the home be inspected only when it is vacant. This, however, is not always practical during the home buying process due to negotiating factors and time constraints. INSPECTOR MISSED TERMITES?: Before you get upset with your termite inspector, consider this; Some of the most common "Inspection misses" are the infestations that are discovered behind what would have been the sellers furnishings, such as headboards or dressers, entertainment centers, pictures, appliances or other furnishings that hid the infestation from the inspector. Remember that most termite inspections are performed when the homes are occupied and had the items been moved for the inspection, then it is likely that the infestation could have been found and corrected prior to the close of escrow. Having said that, there are areas where infestations can exist and will not be found on a standard visual inspection, even if the home was vacant at the time of the inspection. Examples of this would be areas beneath carpeting or any floor coverings, behind built-in cabinets, inside inaccessible stairwells, low pitch sections of the attic, top of the roof sheathing, interiors of hollow walls, behind wallpaper/wall paneling, inside enclosed bay windows & behind masonry. These "hidden" infestations are often discovered when the buyer performs remodeling. These hidden infestations, often assumed to be "termite misses" are simply an unfortunate occurrence. Only Superman has x-ray vision. Bottom line? Try and have the home inspected when it is vacant or very close to. A final comment on termite escrow report findings. There are four words that are commonly used in the home buying process (pertaining to termite inspection reporting) that, in our opinion, should not be used. They are; CLEAN, CLEAR, PASS & FAIL. These four words can (and have), given wrong impressions to home buyers and sellers. A seller that is told that his/her home has FAILED the termite inspection, is often left feeling dejected, when in fact - and more often than not - the findings can be easily corrected. And a buyer is more apt to be outraged if, after closing on a home, they discover termites (during a remodel or replacing carpet etc.) and remembers that prior to their purchasing of the property, their real estate agent had told them that the termite report was CLEAN or CLEAR or that the house had PASSED the termite inspection. The fact is, nobody knows if the home is "clean" or "clear" because nobody has the ability to see inside walls. It's probably human nature to want to put a smile on the inspection reporting outcome whether it's a termite inspection or even a home inspection, but using these words can - at times - give a false comfort. |
| Examples of conditions conducive- -Wood-to-soil contacts (supporting posts etc.) -Excessive moisture (leaky pipes, roof) -Cracked stucco (termite entry points) -Faulty grade conditions (slopes towards home) -Improper ventilation to a crawlspace or sub-area -Excessive cellulose wood debris (crawlspace area) -Inaccessible sub-areas (lack of clearance or access) |
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Inspections
Perry's Termite Service & Repair
Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach
714-964-3491
