Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Termites and Selling Your House
How does a termite infestation affect the sale of your house? A real estate advisor from Bankrate.com provides some information in this article.
The most important thing noted was to be upfront and honest about it rather than trying to hide it.
After the house has been treated, the article mentioned that it's a good idea to get another termite inspection before the house is put on the market. The inpspection report can be combined with previous ones to be included as part of the sales package. And be sure you confirm that the exterminator's warranty can be transfered to the buyer.
In my opinion it may be better to wait until you get a potential buyer since they would want an independent termite inspection. If the initial treatment was done to get rid of the termites, and you still have follow-up visits by that termite company, another official inspection would seem redundant before the buyer requests one. I suppose it may depend on the type of service you received from the exterminator service. As the article states, this inspection is typically paid by the seller and costs between $75 and $100.
How will the termites affect the resale value? Well, it's not going to help you any in the bargaining. However, the article had this optimistic note that a past infestation doesn't necessarily increase the probability of a future one, especially if your treatment included preventive measures like the installation of protective barriers.
The most important thing noted was to be upfront and honest about it rather than trying to hide it.
After the house has been treated, the article mentioned that it's a good idea to get another termite inspection before the house is put on the market. The inpspection report can be combined with previous ones to be included as part of the sales package. And be sure you confirm that the exterminator's warranty can be transfered to the buyer.
In my opinion it may be better to wait until you get a potential buyer since they would want an independent termite inspection. If the initial treatment was done to get rid of the termites, and you still have follow-up visits by that termite company, another official inspection would seem redundant before the buyer requests one. I suppose it may depend on the type of service you received from the exterminator service. As the article states, this inspection is typically paid by the seller and costs between $75 and $100.
How will the termites affect the resale value? Well, it's not going to help you any in the bargaining. However, the article had this optimistic note that a past infestation doesn't necessarily increase the probability of a future one, especially if your treatment included preventive measures like the installation of protective barriers.
# posted by Ken @ 6:39 AM 
