Previous Termite Activity Too much Risk?

[darkage]

Hi All,

I've came across a property that apparently was already on the market 2 times previously..

Story goes like this as per REA description -

- First buyers, pest inspection came up ok. No reason given for them running away.
- Second buyers, pest inspection scared them off. Evidence of previous termite treatment 16 years ago.
- REA is getting property sprayed in another 2 weeks time, first reason was "just to make sure" as a preventative measure since previous buyers had doubts, but then during inspection REA gave more of a spill how the house is worth nothing and your just buying the land value. Also he mentioned that whatever is under there it wont be there no more after the spray.
- REA doesnt have previous pest inspection reports, so just going by his play on words.

I was originally think if the termites are not active and have been treated, then it might be okay depending on damage.. My father has built his own house before, so can fix minor issues.

Actually with me just typing this it does actually sound pretty dodgy and too much risk since $10-30k more can buy something without such history prehaps just in not so good location. I've read someones post here before where they had knowledge of termite history but not active during the sell then later they posted about "Termite Wars"

I guess someone can validate that the above sounds too crazy to touch?

 

[evand]

Many, many houses have previous termite activity. No big deal imo, its nothing too unusual. Get your own report and try to use the previous activity as a negotiable tactic.

BTW: What happened to the previous house you were negotiating on?

 

[darkage]

Many, many houses have previous termite activity. No big deal imo, its nothing too unusual. Get your own report and try to use the previous activity as a negotiable tactic.

It was already priced within a 40k min-max price range but they dropped it down to 10k under the previous min $$$ figure and said its not negotiable.. The fact that previous buys have already been scared off kind of tells me that in the future my resell value will suffer..

Could keep it for 10 years knock it down then build once its paid off.. but then hmm might be worried around the little buggers being onsite..

BTW: What happened to the previous house you were negotiating on?

Response from faxing offer was from REA saying that there is indication of higher offers at the moment.

Not to worry theres some other properties that have caught my eye at the moment that Im following up from.. So trying my luck on others as well, while learning more each day

 

[depreciator]

-

REA is getting property sprayed in another 2 weeks time, first reason was "just to make sure" as a preventative measure since previous buyers had doubts, but then during inspection REA gave more of a spill how the house is worth nothing and your just buying the land value. Also he mentioned that whatever is under there it wont be there no more after the spray.

That's not how termites are treated. They can't be 'sprayed'. I agree with Evan. Old termites damage isn't a surprise and is not necessarily a problem - especially with a dad who is handy.

 

[darkage]

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That's not how termites are treated. They can't be 'sprayed'. I agree with Evan. Old termites damage isn't a surprise and is not necessarily a problem - especially with a dad who is handy.

Whats the proper treatment for termites.. I guess termite barriers and bait traps ?

REA just mentioned its going to be sprayed under the house by the pest person soon.

There was a strange odor on one side of the house. smelt like a pet was sick or went to the toilet somewhere by mistake.. I even checked the toilet to see if the smell was coming from there. Tennant does have 2x dogs, but still I thought it was a strange smell. Dogs looked well cared for. I've read on google that termites can produce methane gas as apart of their activity, but methane is odorless... Weird..

 

[pennyk]

Get your own pest and building inspection and decide from there.
We had termites in our house a number of years ago. We did the treatment, a couple of times to make sure they were all gone, and then replaced the timbers etc that were affected. No issues now.
So, you need to know if there are active termites and also if there is damage to the building as a result.
Dont rely on information from the REA.

There was no smell from the termites, so what you're smelling must have a different cause.

 

[ldriver]

Agree ^^ Termites aren't sprayed & they don't smell.

You need to ascertain the extent of the damage yourself (where?). A couple of floorboards isn't a big issue

 

[darkage]

Agree ^^ Termites aren't sprayed & they don't smell.

You need to ascertain the extent of the damage yourself (where?). A couple of floorboards isn't a big issue

House looked pretty normal.. Verandah had some dry rott, didnt look like swiss cheese or had any walking around white things , plaster ceiling had some movement which had a dodgy cover up and paint job... not sure if thats movement or if termites can show that kind of signs... Cornice here there cracking in 4 or 5 places.. Looks like 2 feet of cornice was cut from the corner and reattached..

Dont really remember any holes in plaster or floor..

I think termites become a real issue once they get into the walls and ceiling, from my research so far..

I guess I have to decent if property is worth a $500 inspection report for myself..
Need to chew on it for a little bit.

 

[evand]

Darkage, from your posts on here it looks like you're looking for the perfect house and/or the perfect deal. It doesn't exist.

Every house you look at will have problems. You just have to accept that and buy something.

 

[pennyk]

House looked pretty normal..

I think termites become a real issue once they get into the walls and ceiling, from my research so far..

I guess I have to decent if property is worth a $500 inspection report for myself..
Need to chew on it for a little bit.

Unless you are a builder or a pest inspector, I wouldnt put too much faith in what you can see...... its what you cant see that is the real issue. By the time we found our termites, they had eaten up thru 3 levels and were in the roof, fortunately only in a narrow area. There was no indication of them that was easy to see inside.
But you are also crazy if you let every house go past where there has been past termite damage. Its 1 in 3 houses, I think! As long as its treated and any affected wood replaced, I dont think it will significantly affect your resale value. Issues like the cracks in the cornices etc will have a bigger impact, I think.
the information you have from your REA doesnt tell you anything, apart from the fact that there has possibly been a problem in the past.
First, decide if the house is something you want to buy and then you must do your own due diligence incl pest/ building....... its definitely worth the $500!!

 

[darkage]

Thanks all for the helpful information.

The house is for my first PPOR so its okay to be a little picky but not overly.

Im happy to have something Im comfortable to live in, but at the right price Im prepared to pay for which includes work to be done..

I've never dealt with the termite topic before so thought it was a good idea to get a feel for what other ppl think about the issue. At least now I've learnt that past termite history doesnt have to be all bad news, depends on the level of damage , if they are still active and if they ever will come back, etc..

 

[jaycee]

Thanks all for the helpful information.

The house is for my first PPOR so its okay to be a little picky but not overly.

Im happy to have something Im comfortable to live in, but at the right price Im prepared to pay for which includes work to be done..

I've never dealt with the termite topic before so thought it was a good idea to get a feel for what other ppl think about the issue. At least now I've learnt that past termite history doesnt have to be all bad news, depends on the level of damage , if they are still active and if they ever will come back, etc..

The wya termites work is - they live udnerground in a next and climb into timber to collect bits of it and take home to feed the family. Allergic to light, they hide in the woodin tunnels. So a lot of time, you won;'t see them utnil BANG ! damage is obvious...

so, maybe get someoen to look for termites and ascertain the lelvel of damage.

To treat termites, they posion they so that they feed each other the posion and all die.

They also sometimes sometimes spray them on the spot to get rid of some (like you could do with spiders / cockroaches etc, but this does nothing permanent).

After that, barrier treatemtns are commonly put arund a hosue so that termites can't crawl into the house again shoudl a next pop up anywhere local