Pest inspection for house?

[sciphi]

Question for you folks who have more experience than I do with purchasing houses. I'm needing a house inspection done on a house I'm in the process of purchasing, and one of the options was a pest inspection. The house is 23 years old, with no trees nearby, and the property disclosure did not specify any pest damage, nor was there a previous pest inspection done. Poking around the mechanicals, and looking at the exposed parts in the garage, I didn't see any signs of frass or other insect damage. Carpenter ants and eastern subterranean termites are the insects that are native to this area of NY (Rochester area).

Should I spring for the pest inspection, or pass on it?

 

[JC1]

What is the price of the house and age of the house? I would get a full inspection on everything. But first and foremost I would make sure I did my homework and got the right inspector.

Regards, JC.

 

[Wolf359]

You should check around and see if the inspector you're using is certified to inspect for pests. While they're doing the home inspection, they will also inspect for pests. Usually the inspectors that do both charge the same as inspectors that aren't certified for pest inspections. I've seen them do the inspection many times and basically they check with basement window frames and the sill. They use a long metal screwdriver to poke at the sill and joist listening for any change in sound and if the wood is solid or not, they do that to practically every joist in the basement around the perimeter of the house, usually only takes a few minutes. They can give you a wood destroying insect form if required by the lender.

 

[Falken]

If it is a fantastic inspector, I'd pay for the pest inspection.

But know this:

Mice have very thin crusty poops. They aren't always perfect hamster style poops.

Think of a piece of Uncle Ben's rice that had been parboiled. Then painted dark brown / black.

If you get up in the attic, use a strong flashlight.

A trained eye can find all sorts of pest sign.

The BEST trick is to open the attic hatch, and put 2-3 mouse traps with peanut butter soaked bread packed into the trigger mechanism.

The bread will go stale, and lodge into the trigger, and still have peanut butter on it.

Leave it up there for a week, then just poke your head up, and there is a 99% chance that if you have a mouse problem, you'll find a dessicated mouse dead in one of the traps. But this only helps if you already own the property.

Carpenter Ants tend to like houses with overhanging trees like a pine, and they go after rotten wood more.

If you have a good roof, and a good sound basement, these details are an added bonus if you can spot them before you purchase.

But, if you go along with the Inspector and inspect the house yourself at the same time, go very slow and you'd be amazed what you can spot, and smell mold, see cracks etc.

Go into a house purchase with eyes wide open, and directly ask questions that concern you.

Do you have a pest problem? Does the roof leak? Does the basement get damp from heavy rain?

Most people will tell the truth and be adverse to telling a direct lie to a direct question.

Make a huge list of questions that concern you, and patiently ask each one to the seller. It may point you into the right direciton, but still keep your wits about you.

If the inspector finds mouse sign, have him document it.

I have walked away from a house that I made an offer on that the inspector found evidence of black mould.

We just walked away, we didn't feel like figuring out the source of the mould problem, so we walked and the Seller didn't have much to hold us to, so it is good to document "deal breaker" flaws.

If you get a home inspection done, inspect the house at the same time that the Inspector is there, it will give you the much needed time to "know" the house.

2-3 hours of poking around and no major issues found will make the stresses of signing at the Lawyers a lot less stressful.

 

[sciphi]

I'll be present and getting my hands dirty along with the inspector and my realtor. They are FHA certified for pests, but that isn't the same as a licensed exterminator looking for pests.

 

[spasm3]

I would get a pest inspection, and i would hire them myself. Do not use an inspector referred to you by the realtor. Realtor referred inspectors won't get return business if they turn down homes with problems messing up a sale. I would find out who they recommend, then hire someone else on your own dime. A few bucks there could save thousands down the road.

 

[Boomer]

Many houses get termites in the first seven years after being built. Their signs are HARD to detect if there are no visible mud tunnels. Look for small ridges or trails under any wallpaper or feel for moisture if there is any peeling paint. Look up in the rafters and the joists with a good flashlight. Take along an ice pick or sharp knife and if there is a suspect area, push on it with your pick or knife. If it goes easily into the wood, there are problems. Termites can also attract a lot of spiders so their presence in a house is indicative of at least some type of insect presence or the spiders would not be there.

Look for any cracks in the foundation where mortar may have been poorly applied if it is a block wall or where the blocks or poured walls themselves have cracks. (This may indicate another problem!) Insects will use these to enter the house.

 

[Studebaker]

A good Realtor, working for you, will get a good inspector so any damage can be addressed before the purchase.
One trick exterminators around here use is- schedule at the last minute then report that while no pests were discovered, the home is "conducive to termites". The buyer panics, the seller in danger of losing the sale, pays the ransom.
One company in particular (a franchise) was famous for this. Always schedule early enough to get a second opinion if you detect a scam.

 

[Spector]

Usually only $75 for a pest inspection. You can also specify in the purchase agreement that the seller pay for it if you wish.

I would get one on a 23 year old house. Ask for the seller to pay for a one year home warranty as well.

 

[sciphi]

Thanks, all! I'll see if it can be done in time. I am already getting a standard home inspection (including radon) done, the pest inspection was a service offered by the home inspector.

 

[hattaresguy]

Is the house on a block foundation? If it is the chances of termites getting into it are much higher. (block foundations suck BTW) With poured concrete if the required 6-12 inch's of concrete are exposed just walk around it. You will see mud tubes going up the foundation walls of termites are getting in. Same with tree's I hate any kind of tree near a house, that's how ants and squirrels get it.

Anyway any decent home inspector should be able to poke around in the basement and look for wood eating insects. Mice are mice, they get in once in awhile. Unless the house is a dump from hoarders your not going to have a serious rodent problem.

 

[renegade_987]

My dads owns a pest control company, and from experience working with him I can say yes, defiantly have it inspected!

 

[SatinSilver]

Originally Posted By: Studebaker
A good Realtor, working for you, will get a good inspector so any damage can be addressed before the purchase.


My realtor in Ohio wouldn't refer once since she said it was a conflict of interest. The guy I ended up with actually knew my realtor when he arrived.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: satinsilver
Originally Posted By: Studebaker
A good Realtor, working for you, will get a good inspector so any damage can be addressed before the purchase.


My realtor in Ohio wouldn't refer once since she said it was a conflict of interest. The guy I ended up with actually knew my realtor when he arrived.


What was the agency's status? Was she a buyer's agent or a seller's agent? If she was a seller's agent, then it's a conflict of interest to recommend a home inspector, but if she's a buyer's agent, then it wouldn't be a conflict of interest. It's one reason why it's better to have a buyer's agent than to just go to an open house and end up with a seller's agent.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

I wouldn't hesitate to have a complete, independent pest inspection if I were to buy an existing home. That would not only include the standard pests (mice, rats, termites, etc.) but also pests such as bedbugs, which are becoming much more common.

 

[andyd]

Every winter and fall we are besieged with mice moving in for the winter. I have several snap traps and loads of peanut butter. I need a good female cat, spayed of course. is what I need. My 150 yr old hired man's house and its 1985 addition, I added, sits on the edge of a polder. That is a man made fresh water marsh formed by damming an estuary. I'm on a hill above a small spring, part of the watershed that feeds it. I've been here since '77. The original 20 X 28 , story and a half, farmhouse is a marvel of hand powered construction. Built of local white pine on a minimal brick foundation. A veritable feast for all sorts of fauna. Powder post beetles had reduced the front gable bent to old newspaper. The entry way floor was also gone.The joists ceased 4 feet away from the front sill. A mild breeze made the place creak.
In '78, I replaced the ground floor post and beam, sill and studs. I used an oak 6x6 for a sill. The rest was white pine from local mills. Hang tight, I'm getting there. new siding , windows, doors. 35 yrs later, I'm prepping the gable for paint. Bug damage around the seldom used front door. The front step, a brick mess of frost split mortar. The closer look that cleaning the step back to its core gave me, I found the root source of the original infestation. A small termite colony? The water that ruined the step rotted the spruce I had used to replace the original. The oak had about 1 1/2" chewed out of its face The bad wood was loaded with grubs that looked like rice. There was a feisty over inch long orange wingy thing ( the queen?) that I crushed. I used a pressure washer to blow out the infested wood. I took it back to good wood and treated it with some Cuprinol preservative. and have given the step a drain, that diverts the water before it can reach the sill. I think I got lucky and took out a nest that was just getting established. Another nest, or the same one that did the original damage?