VA termite inspections, does your home need one and what are the consequences?. The VA offers great interest rates on loans for men and women who have served in our armed forces. However, many of these loans have difficult requirements that can hold up a loan. The two main requirements that effect pest control are termite inspections and termite treatments for new construction.
The first hoop that the VA may require someone to jump through is the VA termite inspection. This inspection is the same as any other inspection with a few glaring differences. The first being that the inspection is not only for homes, but also for condos, regardless as to what floor the condo happens to be on. In fact, just last week we did an inspection for a VA loan that was on the 5th floor of the complex. In CT, if you have termites on the 5th floor there are bigger issues that need to be dealt with.
The ramifications of a VA termite inspection
After the termite inspection is complete you’ll have to worry about what the results are. The fact is that if during a VA termite inspection termites are found you’ll need to have the home treated. The reason is that the VA doesn’t want to back a home that has termites. This treatment will need to be done prior to the closing. In many cases this treatment while necessary will add to the closing costs which the borrower may or may not be able to afford.
New construction is not immune
The next issue that may arise with a VA termite inspection and loan is the need for what we call a termite pretreatment. In the pest control industry a pretreatment is a treatment for termites that is done for new construction. There are a few ways to do a termite pretreatment either direct soil treatment during construction or a liquid wood treatment during construction. Many people, especially builders run into trouble with this VA termite inspection and loan requirement. The culprit and what makes CT different is winter. During winter it’s not possible to treat soil as it’s frozen or saturated with water. However, builders don’t count on this and many times the home is built which makes it to late to do a wood treatment.
So, VA termite inspections have many requirements and while the program is a great way to reward men and women of our armed services a lot thought needs to go into the process. If you have an experienced pest control company they can guide you through the pest control portion of the process.
If you have a VA loan or are considering one, please call Envirocare pest control at 1-888-879-6481. We can help.