Questions About Termites

http://www.orkin.com/termites/termite-structural-damage/ A termite infestation can cause a house to collapse. the damage can be in the thousands, The termites have to be gone before you rebuild. So to answer your question yes.Yes Yes.. Termites can destroy a house. The house can have wood damage.. I Buy homes and rent them out for extra income and would never buy a home with Termite damage..

I am guessing that Texas is a lot like Florida. We live just barely north of Florida (in very southeast GA) and there isn't really a question of whether a home has had termites. Eventually, it will. It is just a matter of time. They are almost impossible to avoid. Yeah, you can treat to try to prevent it, (tons of toxic chemicals in a barrier they spray during construction) but after that, it is just a matter of time and chance. Having termites does not require there to be any other problem with the house. Simply being in proximity to them is all it takes sometimes.

We have baited traps around our home (and have had since we moved in after building the house), and just a few months ago I noticed termites in the dryer vent outside. (the vent cover is removable, and I remove it weekly to clean out lint on the outside side). I called our company and they were out the same day treating/killing them. They checked at that time for damage (ye old knock on the surrounding wood for hollowness) and inside at the adjoining walls and under the bathtub (my bathroom is near the exterior wall they were at)... and under bathtub units where there is dirt access into the home is the primary location where they come in, so I was told. That was all clear.

Within 2 days, I noticed a ton of dead termites around the opening I initially located them in, and then no further activity whatsoever. I am fairly confident, they didn't have a chance to do damage, because like I said, I check the vent VERY regularly, and they couldn't have been there more than a week.

Will we ever get them again? Maybe. Probably, if we stay in this house long enough.

I would not presume there to be any problem with the house that "attracted" the termites. It just isn't necessary. They "hit" at random.

I'd get your structural inspection and ask about the termite bond. Every once in awhile, you can come across a company that will transfer the bond and will pay "replacement/repair" cost for any damages. And try to get a copy of any paperwork from the previous "incident" and what was done.
Good luck.
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ETA: Take a look at Carrie B's link (and then ignore the rest of her comment... b/c it doesn't match what her link says at all). Your termite inspection (when you get it done) done by a licensed termite inspector, not just a regular real estate inspector, should detail out for you what the extent of the damage is (if any) and any potential further locations for damage in the future (if any). I would also point out (like Jo W was saying) that there may not BE any damage currently. Assuming there was any actual damage, and not like in my case that they started moving in, but didn't have a chance to do anything, it is very likely that the homeowner became aware of the problem, treated and had any needed repairs done. If YOU noticed a rotted piece of wall, would you continue living there without fixing/replacing it? Not likely. Neither would your sellers.. Voila. Like it never even happened....

I don't know a lot about termites because my house was built with a treatment done.

None the less I know about maintaining a home. No one would ignore termites, no one would ignore the damage they did. It just isn't how homeowners behave. Think about how you are acting right now, that is how a homeowner acts, you protect your investment.

If I were you I would have all the inspections done but I wouldn't run from the home.

Victoria is right ... here in north Texas, nearly every house that hasn't had a treatment is going to get termites. Termites are everywhere here. If the house hasn't had structural damage, I wouldn't worry about it ... especially if they did a treatment because those treatments last for a LONG time, assuming you don't re-landscape. My house had termites, we caught them early, treated, and have no problems. Same with many of my neighbors and friends. Now we have the house inspected for termites once a year, which is probably a waste of money since the treatments are really effective, but it does provide piece of mind.

Others have really answered a lot of your questions about termites and I am sure that you can do some research on google to get more specific information, but here is a little bit more:

Termites are attracted to wood. They eat it. They build colonies and start munching on wood. Here in Texas, a lot of our houses are built on slabs, so I am going to make the assumption that your house is built on a slab as well. Often, what people do is put a lot of landscaping around the house and they cover the slab with mulch. The termites can then enter the home and get to the wood framing of the house. Most often, this occurs at the perimeter of the home and the termites start munching on the framing. The damage that happens is that the framing structures and the wood that runs along the bottom of the framing (the piece on the slab) gets eaten and it loses its structural integrity. In very very very severe cases, those walls can collapse or at least not support anything (ie if termites are in your garage wall, you may not notice anything on the wall itself, but when you try to attach a shelf in the garage, the screw cannot bite into the wood because the wood is so severely damaged).

As others have said, termites happen and these people got it treated. If they had a termite plan where they were getting inspections annually, they may have just caught the beginnings of a colony and then did the abatement and wiped out the colony (no damage). But, if they weren't doing inspections, they may have had extensive termites and had to do more abatement. Again, this may mean that there was no damage. But, if there is extensive damage (it behooves you to get an inspection done and get a quote on the cost of what it will take to repair the damage), then you have options about how to deal with the damage. If you do get a quote, here are some of your options:

1. One option is to say, it's going to take $5000.00 to repair the house, we would like you to reduce the cost of the house by $5000.00.
2. It's going to take $5000.00 to repair the house, we would like you to repair the house before we close (write it into the contract).
3. It's going to cost $5000.00 to repair the house, please put this money into escrow so we can use it to repair the house (this would again be part of the contract. At closing, the money would go into escrow and you could use it to repair the house).

If there is extensive damage and you decide to buy the house, but not repair it (because it may be pretty minor), then you will face this issue when you go to sell the house - you will have to do something about the damage.

Now, if there really is not much damage, you need to take appropriate actions to maintain the house over the years. Get termite inspections, but also take landscaping that is high up on the house (piled mulch) and rake it back. You should never cover the slab with mulch. You also should not let bushes that are surrounding the house grow so thick that they touch the house. You should keep these cut back. If there are any railroad ties within 3-4 of the house, you should remove those.

I really don't think you can make your decision until you get a report back from the termite inspector. And, be prepared to know that the termite inspector is NOT an expert on estimating what the cost of the repairs will be. Unless the guy also does construction, I would definitely get a contractor to look at the damage and give an estimate of what it takes to make the repairs.

Once you do buy the house, you can buy a termite inspection plan. I'm not 100% sure what the costs are, but it includes an annual inspection and then a spray treatment if they find termites. You don't have to go with the "name brand" termite people. I find that just for maintenance, the name brand people are pretty expensive. Lots of local bug companies offer termite bonds.

Good luck,
L.

Termites can be anywhere. Termites happen. Termites search for wood as a food source, but in my 15 years of real estate I've never heard they are attracted to moisture. Just because a house shows evidence of past termite activity doesn't mean structural damage. A good inspection company will be able to determine the extent of damage and if active termite activity exists. Active termite activity can be successfully abated. I would not run away from a house that has had termites, because I've lived in one for 9 years and counting with no recurrence. The seller is legally required to disclose knowledge of any termite activity. You are the buyer - the choice is yours.