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Termite damage- Should we still buy this house?

3 months ago

We had an inspection done on a house we’re buying, the inspector found termite damage and possible activity in the basement. We asked the sellers to take care of it and other things to which they replied they would take care of the rest but the termites.

Should we be concerned? We’re thinking hiring a pest control company but not sure if it’s worth spending the money or pass on this house?

P.S. We’re in NY.

Thank you!

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Comments (3)

cat_ky
3 months ago
last modified: 3 months ago
If this house is in a termite prone area, then finding termites is not unexpected. However, as stated in your report, they can cause a lot of damage. Get a professional termite and structural person in there to evaluate all before you make any decision to buy, or not to buy. In my area, the seller is responsible to have a termite inspection, not the buyer. The seller is also required to do all repairs, required from any termites if termites are discovered. A once a year, inspection and spraying will keep you from having future problems, after everything has been taken care of .
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
3 months ago
I live in the south where every house had, has, or will have termites. You need a pest control company to treat the termites and a contractor to look at the damage. Could be minor and you just ignore it, we restored one house where the damage extended up to the roof so we had to demo the entire first floor and reframe it under the second floor that was propped up on stilts. That was fun.
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capnswill: Our previous home was in MA. When we bought it in 1983 from DH's parents, we discovered termite damage. His parents had been in the house 20 years and didn't know they had termites. The house was treated (don't remember the cost), and maintained the warranty on an annual basis. Fast forward 20 years, and we discovered carpenter ants! Apparently, carpenter ants move in after termites have done all the work. Anyway, we had that problem taken care of by a company located in Littleton, I believe. And there's a company in Brockton who handles sill repair. The problems you've found can be taken care of. If you love the house, and everything else is OK, I wouldn't let termites scare me away. Good luck, Ellen BTW, where in MA are you?
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The reason to do the paperwork correctly is that you never know what will happen. You want to be certain that there is an appropriate deed of trust showing that $$ are owed to you and the amount of the monthly payment. If anything happens to him you are still entitled to be paid. You want to be sure the grant deed you give your son gives him good title. You want proof of insurance so that if the house burns down--all is not lost. Also there is paperwork which will help him get a lower property tax rate because of the parent child transfer--I'll bet thats not in your book. A book on real estate is not going to help any more than my reading a good book on family counseling would help solve a family problem. You certainly don't need a real estate agent. You already have a buyer, and agents have no business writing contracts other than listing agreements and escrow instructions. You need documents prepared to reflect the terms of the loan (including on what terms that loan can be transferred) An attorney will suggest things to think about: what happens if you die or if you need the money to pay for expensive medical care? If your son dies who would take over the house --do you want the loan to be as generous with that person? Have you made the loan one which cannot be sold? Is the loan so generous that the IRS could consider it a gift? This should not be a long chat with an attorney, and you only need a few documents drawn up. Some lawyers charge a set fee to do it. Call and ask. A termite report is not a requirement and I would bet your son knows what the property's problems are --I would guess he knows the property well. One reason attorneys are not overly enthused about projects like this has nothing to do with the money. Its because with family transfers there can be more problems.
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if you're not in love-don't buy it gut remodel -I don't know whether you're going to gut but you're also working on exterior-sounds like very extensive changes even without full gut-means tons of money, easily half a million in your case, and can take many months -we spent 27 months paying two mortgages, since one can't live in a house during gut remodel, and at some point also paying rent for MIL-because it all took so long due to hard-to get-labour. It's a boom now in construction, especially in HCOLA you'll wait and wait and wait. I don't see anything particularly dated in the house but then I'm not there and not a buyer, so.. The exterior is not my thing, but I don't find it particularly bad either. It all depends on what's around. I'm just saying I wouldn't be falling in love with it. No falling in love=clearer vision. Clearer vision=you won't save on buying and major remodeling. Either buy and reduce your scope of projects drastically(it might be still much bigger than you planned-does it have asbestos that has to be remediated if you disturb the house? does it have proper insulation? what about HVAC's condition? lots of unknowns here)-or buy some more expensive property that you like pretty much as is. Maybe it'll lack pool but you'd be able to add one. 50 K instead of 500 K. Two months instead of two years. Depends on your circumstances of course-right now I'm so tired after our remodel can't bring myself to get to finish the hardscaping. It's been more a year since we've moved in. Energy gone. I hope you're more energetic than me.
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Jake The Wonderdog
3 months ago
last modified: 3 months ago
There are a couple of problems here:

1. You know there's an issue but you don't know the scope of it. It could be minor... or not.

2. You don't want to be the seller who is stuck with an expensive issue when it comes time to sell it.

If the house is a bargain and you can afford for this to be a bigger issue: your call. But if you can't afford to be left holding the bag for a big repair, then pass.

I've done termite repair. Sometimes it's not bad - replace some sections of a sill plate, for example -- and sometimes it's extensive and I was rebuilding an entire wall of a house. (Keep in mind that these were VERY cheap houses).

On a market rate house, I don't have a problem telling the seller to give me cash back at closing when it's a problem they have been sitting on and should have dealt with years ago. I also don't want a seller getting a low-bid half-baked solution to a problem to sell the house. That's why cash back instead of having them fix it. Leave it to the seller and they will install the cheapest furnace, a poor quality roof, half-assed job of patching concrete, etc. Besides, virtually always a seller wants to be DONE with the house at this stage - cash back at closing allows things to move forward and for them to wash their hands of the house instead of finding the chunk of cash for repairs, managing the repairs, re-inspection, etc.

BTW: Now that the seller is aware that there is termite damage, they have to disclose it to other prospective buyers - at least in my state. They can't just fail to mention material defects that are known to them. That may change their mind on dealing with you.

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