Termites

[Diana Tian]

I am buying an investment property. just finished inspection. Termite damage on door header was noted by inspector. but Seller said they had a contract with a pest control company for treatment every year. Dose it mean it is okay?

[Nazz Wang]

Termite damage is really common in termite's natural territory. Almost every single house in California has some degree of previous or current damage. I personally think it is not a big deal. Do you know if there is current infestation or just past damage? When kind of termite is active in your area? Something that requires tenting will be expensive. Most other kinds of treatments are not a big cost adder.  I just did a treatment for subterrenian termites for 1500 bucks, and there was active infestation on 1/3 of the foundation. Actually I used that do get the deal because most home owners will hear any problem they are not familiar with and be scared off, so I got a 325k property for 255k, plus 1.5k out of pocket for the treatment.

A lot of companies will do free inspections to give you an estimate on the cost. Find a good company who is not scammy (that is the hard part) and read their proposal carefully to only budget for the actual treatment. A lot of companies would was to replace parts of your door or something, which you can get done very cheaply with people who specializes in it.