How Termites Affect a Home Sale

Termites impinge on a house in various ways – from the walls and furniture to even the resale of the property! Indeed, these ‘silent destroyers’ can severely impact the resale value of a house when you are looking to sell the property.

Homeowners may feel that they can get away with hiding a termite infestation. The effects are not always visible to the naked eye. However, as the home seller, the law binds you to disclose the following information to potential buyers in the disclosure form –

Any known termite activity –be it current or previous

Damage caused by the termites

Termite treatment, if any

Repair of the damages, if any

Lets say you choose not to disclose this information or are truly unaware of any ongoing termite activity, diligent buyers will require a certified termite inspection before making an offer. New homes are typically treated before they are sold and then the contract with the servicer remains in place as a warranty by the builder for 1 to 2 years. IF the house is older than that, then any potential buyer will ask if the treatment has been kept current and if the house is being sprayed for bugs on a regular basis. It offers them the peace of mind that they are not walking into a hornets’ nest of trouble so to speak. If there is no contract they may suspect that there may be a problem and hold the seller responsible for the inspection charges.

What to do?

Previous termite infestation becomes a huge bargaining chip for potential buyers who will try to reduce the sale price as much as possible. A smart buyer will have an independent contractor come in and inspect the home. A wise buyer will walk away from a deal if it becomes known that there is current termite activity.

Before putting your home on the market the first step is to make sure you are up to date on your pest control and termite treatments. Find all related documentation. Disclose all the details of any previous termite activity and the requisite treatment done with reports of the findings, type of treatment, location of the past treatment and bills as well. A service guarantee from the Pest Control Charlotte NC Company or even transferable warranty to treat future problems can help restore both the buyer’s trust and the value of your home. You can focus on the treatment, preventive measures and lack of recurrence to get a good deal.

In case, a termite damage surfaces in the inspection, first get it properly treated by an experienced and reliable Pest Control Charlotte NC company. Put the house on the market only after you get the ‘all clear’ sign. Also set up preventive measures. This will help you to assure potential buyers that the problem is under control and the service provider will take care of a recurrence, if any. But be prepared that this can under mind the sale price of the house or condo.

In case you are genuinely unaware of the problem and termite activity surfaces only during the negotiation phase, you can either offer to get the treatment done before closing the sale or give a concession on the sale price to factor in the cost of treatment and repairs. In some cases, the buyer and seller may even agree to share the expenses of commercial pest control treatment.

In summary, do not try to fraudulently hide a termite activity when selling your house. Instead handle it before hand to avoid heavy repercussions later.

The author is an experienced writer and guides you about pest control, pest termite control and termite protection procedure on domestic and commercial locations.