Finding termite damage prior to selling your house can become a huge hassle. Luckily, selling as-is to a cash buyer with no repairs and no fees is possible. To get started, fill out the form below. We’ll create your FREE cash offer today!
Selling a House With Termite Damage
According to Orkin Pest Control, around 600,000 homes in the United States alone are being damaged by termites each year. If your house is part of these statistics, don't lose hope just yet. You can still see a successful home sale, that is if you sell to the right buyer.
There's no law prohibiting the sale of a house that has active termites or has termite damage. However, informing the buyer about this issue is necessary in accordance with disclosure laws. Disclosure is necessary whether you are selling to the local market or a cash home buyer.
Have more questions about selling a house with termite damage? We got all the answers up ahead so be sure to check out the rest of this blog!
Signs of Termite Infestation In Your Home
Termites are insects that target houses. They look like flying ants with their wings of equal length and straight antennae. Termites eat wood, they survive through warmth and moisture, and they are mainly categorized into four.
- Formosan termites
- Subterranean termites
- Dampwood termites
- Drywood termites
Among these, subterranean termites are considered the most destructive among houses.
Here are some signs that termites have already infested your home.
Termite Shelter Tube
One of the most common signs that a termite has taken over your home is the presence of mud tubes or termite tunnels across your floor, walls, ceiling, on the foundation of your home, basement, crawl space, and the edge of a slab.
These mud tunnels are created by a mixture of soil, termite droppings, wood particles, and other debris. They are formed into tunnels and serve as some sort of highways to travel from their termite colony to their food sources.
If you found a potential mud tube, break off a piece of it and see if termites would emerge. If there's none, don't rejoice just yet. Check out the part you broke after a few days and if it got repaired, there is really a termite infestation in your home.
Discarded Insect Wings
Termites shed their wings to form new colonies. If your house is infested, you would see their discarded wings on the edge of your doors, window sills, and even caught in the spider webs inside your home.
Hollow Wood
If you knock on the wooden parts of your home and they seem hollow, the termites were probably in there for a long time.
Termites tunnel through damaged wood and they leave behind paths of destruction. This is unnoticeable until you knock or until the damage becomes extreme that the hollow spaces have already cracked the surface.
Noise From the Woods
Despite their size, termites produce noise that is loud enough for you to hear if you press your ear on the wood or carpentry framing. They typically make sounds when they chew but there are also instances when they bang their heads or shake their bodies against the wood to send messages to other termites.
Frass and Droppings
Termites produce pellet-like body waste called frass. These droppings are wood-like in color and they look similar to coffee grounds or sawdust. You'll find piles of frass in areas where there are active termites. They're usually pushed aside because termites want clear paths.
Swarming Termites
During fall or spring, you'll see a termite swarm congregating on your doors and windows. These termites are newly matured and are off to make new colonies that's why they're inside your home.
Bodies of Termites
Bodies of dead termites may also litter your floor. Unfortunately, though, many homeowners assume they are ants so they don't immediately discover the damage.
Swelling Walls and Floors
Termites that are burrowing in one area can cause wood to raise or bulge similar to water damage. Bubbling or swelling of paint is also another indication of active termite infestation. You can also tap on your floor tiles to check if there is a hollow sound.
What Attracts Termites to a House?
Termites eat cellulose so materials such as wood, insulation, and paper can attract them to your house. If you want to avoid significant damage, here's what you need to avoid.
- Piles of wood near your home
- Mulch near your foundation
- Water or moisture in crawl spaces and basements due to poor drainage
- Tree stumps beside your house
- Clogged rain gutters that trap moisture
- Any wooden structures near your home
What Kind of Damage Can Untreated Termites Do?
If you do not deal with termite infestation immediately, they can leave your home uninhabitable. On average, termite causes $5 billion worth of damage annually according to Pest World.
Here are the most common types of damage termites cause:
- Foundation Damage: If the foundation of your home is made entirely of wood (i.e, you're living in an old cabin), termites can make your home collapse in extreme cases.
- Structural Damage: Termites can make your walls swell and crack if it is entirely made of wood. Your house will lose structural integrity if this happens.
- Ceiling Damage: Your ceiling may sag or buckle as if it has water damage
- Laminate Flooring Damage: Your laminate flooring will blister and sag. There would also be small holes in it.
Can You Sell a House With Active Termites?
Yes. You can sell your house with active termites. However, it would be difficult to sell in the open market since most traditional buyers want homes they can readily move into. The presence of termites is a deal breaker for them.
Your best bet when selling a house with active termites is real estate investors or cash buyers since they have the time and resources to flip the property.
Can You Sell a House With Past Termite Damage?
Yes. You can sell a house with past termite damage. In fact, compared to a house with active termites, a property with a termite history can sell faster.
Note, however, that you still have to include the past termite activity on the disclosure form even if you made necessary repairs or treated the termites with the help of a pest control company. This applies whether you are selling with a real estate agent or getting a cash offer to sell your house fast.
Do Termites Affect Home Value?
Yes. Termites affect the home value as with any significant house damage. Many real estate agents say that a house with termite damage drops approximately 20% in market value.
Of course, this varies depending on the extent of structural damage and the treatments and necessary repairs required before the home can go back to its normal state.
How to Sell a House With Termite Damage
You have two major options when selling a house with termite damage. You can either get a cash offer to sell the house fast or sell with a real estate agent.
Between these two, getting a cash offer is more suggested since it removes the need to treat the termite issues and make damage repairs.
Sell to a Cash Buyer
Cash buyers are exactly what their name suggests. They can pay you with cash, therefore, eliminating lenders from the picture. They also buy houses with extensive termite damage as-is which makes the home sale very convenient to the seller.
To sell your house with termites as-is to a cash buyer, all you have to do is call them or fill out a form on their website.
Once you've given them the necessary details, they'll visit your house and assess the termite damage to formulate an accurate offer. Consider it a home inspection, but less stringent.
If you accept the cash buyer's offer for your house with termite problem, they'll send a contract to you electronically. They'll give you time to review the terms and sign the contract. After signing, the sale would proceed to closing and you'll receive the money in your bank. It's extremely fast and easy.
Still unsure whether selling to a cash buyer or real estate investor is the right route for you? Check out some more reasons why they are preferred by many.
- Less Risky: Cash sales don't usually fall through because there is no lender approval involved.
- Less Paperwork: Another perk of eliminating the lender when selling a house with a termite problem is that there is lesser paperwork. What's more, most of the paperwork is handled by the cash buyer or real estate investor.
- No Commission Fees: There's no need for a real estate agent when selling for cash. This means you won't have to pay a commission fee during closing.
- No Closing Costs: Apart from the commission fee, there's also no need to pay for closing costs, but if you do, they are typically between 2% to 3% for each agent.
Sell With a Real Estate Agent
Selling a house with termite infestations to a real estate agent might make more sense if you already made termite treatments and damage repairs. In other words, there are no more active termites and your home is back to the way it was. Most buyers would even put in competitive offers for these houses.
However, if you plan to sell the house as-is in the local market, it may be extremely difficult and expensive on your end.
Even though you won't spend on repairs for your house with termite issues, you have to spend on specialized pest inspection, the real estate agent's commission fees, marketing, posting in the multiple listing service, termite warranty, etc. Interested buyers would also use the significant termite damage to lowball you.
Moreover, if you need to move to another city fast, it won't be possible if your house with termite infestations is listed in the local market because prospective buyers prioritize move-in-ready houses. Offers for your house with untreated termite problems may come later than you expected.
Nevertheless, if you are really more comfortable working with an agent, you have the budget to make treatments and repairs, and you're not in a rush, you may sell traditionally.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Does It Take For Termites to Destroy a House?
It would take 3 to 15 years for termites to destroy a house according to most pest control companies. Factors such as the size and species of the termite as well as the materials and size of your home can greatly impact this timeframe.
Luckily, in most cases, termite infestations surface early on so actions are taken to prevent further damage to the property.
How Much is Termite Inspection?
According to MarketWatch, termite inspection can cost anywhere from $50 to $237 based on 2021 data. Of course, this may increase due to different factors such as whether the pest control company is giving one-time or annual termite inspection, if there's a termite bond, or if the termite inspection is part of the home sale.
Usually, a pest inspector or pest professional doesn't charge anything unless there are reports needed for a home sale.
How are Termites Treated?
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, termite treatments can either be chemical or non-chemical.
Non-chemical treatment for termite infestations does not use any insecticide. Instead, physical barriers such as sand and steel mesh are used. Fungi and nematodes are also seen to be effective biological control agents.
The chemical treatment, on the other hand, uses insecticide to deal with termites. This is further categorized into wood treatment, termite baits, and conventional barrier treatments.
How Much is Termite Treatment and House Damage Repair?
Termite treatment typically costs between $221 and $916. This includes fumigation, chemical treatment, microwave or electro-gun treatment, liquid termiticides, termite bait treatment, and heat and tenting treatment.
Of course, this cost can still vary depending on factors such as home size, the extent of the infestation, the types of termite present, and the number of treatments required.
As for the estimated repair costs of termite damage, expect to pay around $3 to $7 per linear foot.
How Common is Termite Damage?
Termite damage is pretty common, especially in the United States. It is reported that around 600,000 homes in the U.S. are affected by termite infestation annually and homeowners collectively spend around $5 billion for termite control.
Is Termite Damage Covered by Homeowner’s Insurance?
No. Termite damage is not commonly covered by home insurance because it can be prevented through proper home maintenance.
Remember that homeowner's insurance is practically designed to cover accidental or sudden damages and significant termite damage is not a sudden phenomenon.
Most home insurance companies suggest getting plans for pest control annual inspections as an alternative.
Is it Hard to Sell a House That Has Had Termites?
Yes. It is hard to sell a house that has had termites before because there's no assurance that it won't happen again.
Selling to potential buyers from the local market is most especially harder because they are looking for family homes they can live in, unlike cash buyers and house flippers who plan to fix and sell the property.
That being said, if you want to avoid all the hassles of selling to the local market, get a cash offer.
Do You Have to Disclose Termites When Selling a House?
Yes. You need to disclose any termite activity or past termite damage when selling a house in accordance with the disclosure laws of your state. This may cause a dip in your property's full market value, but it will prevent you from facing legal complaints from the buyer later on if they learn about it during home inspection.
Another reason why you should stay on the right side of disclosure is to prevent the buyer from using the termite issue as a bargaining chip.
Can You Save a Termite-infested Home?
Yes. You can save a termite-infested home. Terminators can kill the active termites in your home by using pest control products. They can also prevent the termites from coming back.
However, if your home already has major damage, treating termites would not solve your problem. You have to make structural repairs in order for your house to be livable again.
Can You Get Rid of Termites in Your Home Permanently?
Yes. You can get rid of a termite problem in your home permanently. That is if you make sure you maintain your house properly and you get rid of active colonies near your house.
Since termites are pretty hard to deal with, you can ask the help of qualified termite experts to prevent future termite infestations.
Final Thoughts: Selling a House with Termite Damage
Selling a house with termite damage is by no means easy especially if you are selling as-is in the local market. There aren't many potential buyers who are willing to purchase houses with a termite history, much less one with an active termite infestation.
If you really want to sell a house with termite damage fast, get an all cash offer. Cash buyers and real estate investors buy houses in any condition. They'll handle the termite treatment and damage repair for you.
Once you're ready for a fast home sale, reach out to us at House Buyer Network. We'll make a fair cash offer for your house with termite damage and even cover closing costs for you.
Fill out our form below or call us at (855) 835-2544 to learn more.
