Should we still buy the house

We looked at a house for my friend's PPOR which had white ants and it has been treated for white ants and a treatment report was shown by the agent today. The roof has been replaced as it was damaged by termites.

During pest inspection, there are still some live white ants and, the sturts in the walls still have signs of being eaten by termites. The vendor has come back saying that she will get the treatment done, get the sturts / damaged parts replaced at her cost, if we agree to continue with the offer.

Need your suggestion. Should we agree to the terms or forget about the property?

Cheers
 
I'd be very wary of this one.

Having live white ants means that there is a nest nearby. Just replacing the items and having the treatment done is not a 100% guarantee that all the white ants will be gone.

Plus, you may end up being on some type of treatment plan where you'll have to fork out about 800-1000 per year for some guy to come around twice a year to do further inspections or treatment work. If you skip an inspection, then any warranty they give on the inspections/treatment work will be voided.

Are there a lot of trees/bushes or loose firewood stored closeby which may be a white ant nest? Check all that out too. If there are trees within 20-30 metres, then have a look at the trunks and under the bark of the trees to see if there are any signs of white ants in them.

If you are keen, then maybe you could re-evaluate your offer (ie lower it) based on the knowledge that you'll most likely have more white ant problems, and expenses, in the future.

But if the vendor is talking about replacing/repairing the damage then I'd be wary. If it were me, i would offer a much lower cost and do the work myself - then knowing that i would know the quality of the work being done. Depends on how much is required to be fixed though.



Good luck


g
 
I think it's very hard to determine how much damage has been done without pulling it apart.

I would be very surprised if a vendor would go to the time and expense to rebuild it, as usually the further you go the worse it gets.

It's easy enough to kill that nest, but there is nothing to stop it happening again if not treated correctly.
 

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The vendor has come back saying that she will get the treatment done, get the sturts / damaged parts replaced at her cost, if we agree to continue with the offer.
And if you do not proceed with your offer, then she won't get the treatment done, get the sturts / damaged parts replaced? :eek:

Need your suggestion. Should we agree to the terms or forget about the property?

What other redeeming features does the property have? Is it a sub-dividable block? Is it $100K under market value? etc etc . Then maybe think about it.

But if it is just a regular house - who needs the hassle? As others have said, you need to make sure all the work is done, all the termites are gone and pay for regular inspections to keep the warranty. Too much effort when you can buy one without termites - move on.
 
I agree with propertunity. Buy it if the land value is worth the cost.
We purchased a house with termites with the view of building 3 twellings on the block.

By the time it settled it was uninhabitable and not suitable for rent. I was able to walk on the floor boards but Angelo fell through (much heavier ;))

By the time we sourced approval to subdivide, demolish and build, most of the interior was gone and when it was demolished there was a 5m x 5m termite nest under the floor boards. It was amazing to see!!!

We still made money on the development and still own the 3 STEEL FRAMED properties we built on that site. It was worth buying because of the land value.
 
By the time we sourced approval to subdivide, demolish and build, most of the interior was gone and when it was demolished there was a 5m x 5m termite nest under the floor boards. It was amazing to see!!! .


Damn that sounds big !
 
By the time we sourced approval to subdivide, demolish and build, most of the interior was gone and when it was demolished there was a 5m x 5m termite nest under the floor boards. It was amazing to see!!!

Probably the floor was resting on the nest itself :D.

Cheers
 
And if you do not proceed with your offer, then she won't get the treatment done, get the sturts / damaged parts replaced? :eek:



What other redeeming features does the property have? Is it a sub-dividable block? Is it $100K under market value? etc etc . Then maybe think about it.

But if it is just a regular house - who needs the hassle? As others have said, you need to make sure all the work is done, all the termites are gone and pay for regular inspections to keep the warranty. Too much effort when you can buy one without termites - move on.

You have raised valid questions. The only feature the house has - It's the only house in the budget and the preferred school zone'. there is no land and it's not under market value.
 
It's the only house in the budget and the preferred school zone'. there is no land and it's not under market value.

It is never a good idea to buy a problem property on the sole reason that it is in the budget - you'll get to pay more later :(

There are other non-termite infested properties in this school catchment area, I'm sure.

I vote 'move on'.:cool:
 
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