Top Ten Things to Know about Tucson Real Estate - Termites and your Home

Around Tucson, Your Termite Guy will tell you: It’s not IF, it’s WHEN.  And he’s talking about having termites in your home.

Termites are little wood-destroying critters who love to feast on your home.  Typically, the come into the walls through small cracks in the foundation, especially around the plumbing, or just head North up the walls from the dirt around the house.  They can cross concrete and empty space to reach their next meal.

Infestations aren’t always visible, but there are a few dead-giveaways.

  • Mud tubes on interior or exterior walls.  These look like little bubbles of mud and are little highways for the termites to travel through.  They’re made of mud and, well, termite poo.  Brushing off the tubes doesn’t solve any problems, it just makes the termites build their roads again.
  • Mud tubes hanging from the ceilings.  From an engineering standpoint, these are rather awesome little stalactites of achievement for such a small insect.
  • Sawdust or droppings.  These are easiest to spot when there’s a small spread of dust next to the wall, or beside a fence post or patio support.  The drywood termites have a black pellet dropping (my second mention of poo in this article - I think that’s a record!)
  • Visible wood damage.  The termites carve little round trails through the wood, it’s a very distinct sort of pattern.

As a home buyer, you will probably want to have the home inspected for termites, or wood destroying organisms.  In fact, your lender might require this report.  It’s a fairly cheap inspection, usually around $40.  The company I prefer, Termagon, will offer a one year warranty without treatment if they find no evidence of termite activity.  In this market, if a home buyer finds termites, it is customary that the Seller pay for the treatment and warranty, but not required.

Having a termite warranty is also important as a home seller.  Knowing you have someone to call if a potential buyer finds termites is priceless.  A termite warranty is one of the best investments you can make for your Tucson home - keep your warranty current!

There are two major types of termites, the subterranean and the drywood termite.

The subterranean termite lives exactly where you would expect: in the ground.  From the soil, they eat whatever wood is underground or in contact with the ground.  A termite inspector will make special note of “wood to earth contact,” because that is an open invitation to the subterranean termite.  These are they guys who create the migratory tubes up walls, down from ceilings, and even upwards from cracks in the floor.

The drywood termites make colonies in wood, not in the soil.  They enter the house by swarming into a crack in the wood, typically.  These are more difficult to exterminate.  Sometimes, you only see a small pinhole in the drywall or window casing, and there’s a little pile of dust and debris underneath it.  It’s a harder infestation to spot.

The best course of action is to keep your house under an active termite warranty, and to make sure the conditions at your house do not encourage infestations.

  • Stack all lumber and firewood several feet away from the house
  • Keep all wood supports (porches, decks, etcetera) away from the home’s foundation, and remove all wood-to-earth contact.
  • Move mulch and wood chips away from the foundation
  • Repair any leaks at faucets or watering systems
  • Do not plant or water plants close to the foundation

It’s usually pretty easy to tell if a property has been treated for subterranean termites.  A typical treatment involves drilling into the foundation and injecting a chemical into the soil underneath.  This creates a chemical barrier between the termites and the house.  Other methods include trenching and saturating the ground, but drilling is the most common.  You see roughly one inch holes that have been patched every couple of feet along the foundation: look at more than a handful of houses in Tucson and you’ll see it right away!  Subterranean termite treatments are usually $400-$700, depending on the amount of work involved.

It’s okay to buy a house that has termites.  It’s okay to sell a house that has termites.  Disclosure is the most important thing.  Damage can be repaired, the home can be treated, everything is solvable.  Just know that if you have real estate in Tucson: you need a termite warranty.  It’s simple, it’s easy, and it’s the cheapest peace of mind you’ll ever have.

Photo via Flickr, courtesy of giantmonster

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