Costly Critters

If there’s one thing this world has a lot of… it’s critters! In the real estate industry, coming across wildlife who have decided to take up residence in a residence is unfortunately quite common. Bats, rats, bees, termites, raccoons…we see it all.One of the most common to find in this area are termites, and termite inspections are done quite a bit in transactions - whether required by the lender or just a buyer wanting peace of mind prior to purchase.Most inspections that lead to evidence of live activity require treatment of specific areas, commonly in basements and under front stoops, that cost an average of $500 to treat.   What happens if termites are overlooked and not treated for several years? Well, this happened recently with one of our listings. A curious scratch of the head to what looked like a warped floorboard in an upper hallway led to the discovery of $16,000 worth of termite damage.When that one small piece of wood was inspected a little closer, it opened up a can of worms and several walls! Barely noticeable, tiny little pinpricks in the ceiling led to a smoke alarm; when said smoke alarm was unscrewed, hundreds of termite wings tumbled to the ground! One termite trail led to a vent cover that, when opened, revealed more termite wings (Those “flying ants” you see? Most likely termites. Random small piles of “drywall”? Most likely termite droppings). The termites had managed to march their way up and down all three levels of the home and eat away at the support beams and window sills.    We called in a contractor who specialized in termite repair because we had no idea how much damage we were going to find, so they had to come in and start ripping walls up until the damage stopped. They were able to install support joists to hold together those with damage and, of course, treat for any live insects. They also repaired all the drywall and repainted to leave the house looking as good as new!We worked closely with all parties to ensure both buyers and sellers understood what needed to be done and, in the end, successfully closed the transaction.We recommend getting a termite inspection every year to maintain a healthy structure of your home. If you need a recommendation or have further questions on our experiences with wood-destroying insects, we are happy to help!