Termite Home Inspections, are they Worth it?

 When my parents bought their house 20+ years ago, they did not pay for a termite inspection, which turned out to be a costly mistake. After moving into their house they discovered termites in the walls and had to pay a costly fee to get rid of them. Luckily the termites have not returned, but I learned from my parents to get a termite inspection when buying my first house.



What does a termite inspection include?

A routine termite inspection includes a visual, non-invasive check of the structure and foundation. A good inspector will also look at the yard, garage, outdoor structures, crawl spaces, and attic. He will knock on wood posts and other wood structures to see if they sound hollow. He will look for dirt tubes, squishy areas of wallpaper, and small holes in drywall.



One of the obvious benefits of getting an inspection when buying a new home is of course peace-of-mind, but typically most banks will not issue a home loan without the home first passing a termite inspection.   If you find later that your house does have termites, it is usually covered by the company that did the inspection. Make sure to get it in writing.



Buying a new house can be costly and very tempting to skip this inspection to save a few bucks in the process. I rarely buy extra warranties and spend money if I don’t have to, but this is one area that I believe it is worth the expense.



If you already own your home and you suspect you might have termites, it is always better to be safe than sorry and get your home inspected. If you choose a good company, you can get rid of them and save your home further damage.

Thank you to Terminix for sponsoring this post.