Depending on where you live, a pre-home inspection for termites may be far more than just a good idea before you buy a house. While treatment for termites may set you back a kilo buck, repairs to a structure with termite damage can range from five to as much is 50 times the cost of preventing the termites in the first place! So clearly, given these costs, including a careful look for termites during a home inspection brings incredible piece of mind.

There are many different areas where the home inspector may have to do thorough research to be sure the home is termite free. One of the easiest places for the little buggers to get a start is with a garage. While their preferred method for gaining a tasty meal, you might be considering home, is where wood touches the ground. However, lacking that access termites can build humidity controlled access tunnels to get to the tasty food source.

What you may not see underground is where a termite colony can build a tunnel along pipes, or even finding a nice interim snack from buried construction debris. When doing a home inspection for termites the good practice is to examine both the interior and exterior of the house. Experienced home inspectors now one of the first places to check would be where there is a connection for a garden hose.

So let’s say the home inspection declares your new love home is currently termite free. This is not a lifetime guarantee. Some areas of the United States, in particular the South and Southwest should have a termite inspection performed annually. The safe rule of thumb for other parts of the United States is to perform a home inspection for termites every two years.

The south and southwest parts of the US are subject to a double whammy. These areas cannot only have subterranean termites, the second type that can eat you out of house and home are the dry wood termites. What makes the dry-wood termite particularly insidious because they build their nests in wood that is actually in good shape? Because this type of termite nests where the food is and is not searching for dinner, they do not leave any telltale clues of their existence with access tunnels.

While not directly related to the termite, there are several types of beetles that can do just as much damage. A thorough home inspection would also include looking for different types of beetles when doing a termite inspection.

And sad to say, there is a lower life form that can be attacking the wood in the home. Mold fungi can cause would to decay. Commonly, this is referred to as rot. As rot is just as wood destroying as beetles and termites, it should also be considered on both the interior and exterior examination during the home inspection.

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