How to Look for Termites When Searching for a New Home
When touring homes to potentially buy, you may be focused specifically on the amenities and the ways you could make the house your own. But by just paying attention to that, you could be dealing with some serious issues beneath the surface.
Termites can ruin a house without the homeowner even knowing. But since they reside within the walls, it can be hard to spot them. Here are some things to look for.
Mud Tubes Around Your Home
When touring homes, pay close attention to the exterior foundation, the bottom and top of basement walls, and crawl spaces. Mud tubes along those areas are really easy to spot with the naked eye but do mean that there is a problem with termites. If you notice any tubes, ask the current owner if they’re aware of it and if they’d be willing to take care of the problem before you move in.
Weakened or Hollow-Sounding Wood
Termites tend to feed on the wood that sits beneath the surface making the structure hollow when you tap or knock on it. In every room you look at, take a few seconds to tap on the walls to see if you hear a hollow sound. If you do, chances are termites have eaten all of the wood that was once supporting the wall. The sound should raise a red flag in your mind significant issues with the foundation down the road.
Damage in Your Outdoor Wooden Features
Not only can termites cause issues inside of the home, but they can also cause extensive damage to the outside. If the home you’re looking at has a deck, a wooden fence, or even a wooden swing in the backyard, check to see if you notice any holes in the material. The holes usually mean that termites have eaten their way through the surface and are living inside of the wood.
Termites
never sleep – they are always eating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Because they never sleep, they can do a lot of major damage. If you’ve fallen in love with a house but there is a termite issue, determine with the seller how bad the problem is. Regardless of its severity, you must reach out to pest control services to get rid of pests and to prevent the issue from getting worse in the future. The exterminators will also be able to determine how bad the issue is, so you can always call them in before putting money down on the home.
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