Are Termite Inspections Necessary?

© 2009, Brandon Cornett. All rights reserved.

Reader Question: I was told I should have a separate termite inspection on a house I’m buying, in addition to the regular home inspection? Is it really necessary to have both?

I would say that a regular home inspection is necessary in all cases, and a termite check is necessary in many cases. A regular home inspector usually will not check for termites — they are two separate inspections.

Termites can be a problem in most (but not all) parts of the United States. So I cannot say whether or not you should have one. You’ll have to do some research to find out if termites are a common problem in your state, and then make your decision based on that knowledge.

With that being said, let’s talk about what termites can do to a property. In the house where I grew up, we had a covered porch out back. One year, we noticed that the plaster was sagging in the ceiling of this porch. We thought it was water damage at first. So we had a contractor come out to inspect the roof and ceiling. Long story short, it was totally infested with termites and had to be replaced — along with part of an external wall. I was too young to know for sure, but we probably spent at least $8,000 to repair all of the damage.

So are termite inspections really necessary when buying a home? To answer this question, you should weigh the potential damage of a termite infestation with the cost of having the home inspected. An inspector will probably charge around $100 for a complete roof-to-foundation inspection of the property. If you ask me, that’s a small price to pay for peace of mind.