| The excitement of buying a new home and the desire | | | | standard that you have determined that you can live |
| to save money can lead the potential homeowner | | | | with. Sometimes a small nest of nasties can be |
| down a dark, crumbling drywall road. Some people | | | | eradicated with a small outlay of time and noxious |
| think that a pest inspection is an unnecessary and | | | | chemicals. However, if the supports of the house |
| costly step in the home buying process, especially if | | | | resemble birds' bones, you should take your down |
| neighboring houses don't have a problem or the owner | | | | payment and back slowly away. |
| swears upon the sanctity of their mother's grave that | | | | A good pest inspector is going to take their time to |
| there are no bug problems. However, I believe that it is | | | | thoroughly inspect your house. Since a lot of pests |
| a lot more costly to pay to evict two million tiny | | | | don't always go out of their way to yell, HI! I'm HERE!" |
| squatters and repair the damage they cost you. | | | | to the concerned home buyer, pest inspectors have to |
| Some people are of the opinion that pests only infest | | | | crawl into out-of-the-way spots, like the attic or |
| lower-quality houses and condos, but this is fallacious in | | | | basement, to check for signs. It's sometimes a dusty |
| the extreme. Any residence can serve as a cafeteria | | | | and dirty job, but most pest inspectors are prepared |
| for wood-destroying organisms. And, if you're paying | | | | for this. |
| several hundred thousands of dollars more than the | | | | Before you invite a pest inspector to look over your |
| homes you would think would be more prey to this | | | | future domicile, it's wise to ask them questions, check |
| kind of problem, doesn't it make sense to make sure | | | | out their references and check their licensing. Licensing |
| that money is well invested in a solid structure? | | | | can vary from state to state, so be aware of the |
| A pest inspection is often called a termite inspection | | | | laws of your area. During the inspection, the inspector |
| because termites are the most infamous of the pests | | | | should be willing to answer your questions and point |
| who like to snack on your house and belongings. | | | | out problem areas. You should get a full report and an |
| However, there are more critters out there that like to | | | | estimate of the standard that the home meets. |
| argue the merits of pine vs fir. Some of these include | | | | Keep in mind that a pest inspector is not Superman; |
| carpenter ants, carpet beetles and silverfish. All of | | | | X-ray vision is beyond them. They cannot guarantee |
| these pests like wood, but they can leave different | | | | that your future residence is free of pests; just that it |
| evidence that only an experienced person can detect. | | | | appears free. Many recommend regular inspections, to |
| Like the home inspection, the pest inspection should be | | | | catch problems before they become a serious threat |
| part of your paperwork. Your offer to purchase the | | | | to the soundness and equity of your house. |
| home should be conditional upon the home meeting a | | | | |