As you look to buy your dream home, discuss the structural temerity of the building with the real estate agent you have enlisted. Making sure that the home was built to code is important, but checking for termite damage is also an important step in home buying. Termites can do a lot of damage to a home, and sometimes the presence of termites is not obvious from your first walk-through of a property.  People can live in a home for years without realizing that termites are destroying the structure they are living in, so asking a seller about the presence of termite damage isn’t going to get you very far.  If you know the signs of termite damage, you will be better prepared to choose your dream home, and having some prior knowledge when you are on the market to buy a new abode can help you find the perfect place to live that is structurally safe for you and your family to live in for years to come!
 
Tiny holes with small piles of sawdust around them are also signs of termite damage. Often these holes are no larger than a pencil lead but they can lead to a world of damage inside the wood.

When it comes to looking for signs of termites, there are specific areas to check.  These places on a home will most often will show signs of termites:

Exterior porches, doors and window facings, baseboards and hardwood flooring may show termite damage

Painted surfaces or wallboard surfaces may show unusual blistering caused by termites

The floor covering may have raised or split areas where termites have gotten underneath

The attic may have mud tunnels, water leakage,  wood rot or damaged wood, which is inviting to termites

The top of the foundation wall where the floor and the wall intersect may have mud tunnels

If you have seen just one of these signs of termite damage in any part of the home you are considering purchasing, it’s time to start asking questions.  Ask the seller or the seller’s agent about any past termite damage.  If you don’t get any answers with this method, you should consider contacting a pest control professional for atermite inspection.  These professionals can tell you definitively whether or not there is a termite problem in this home, and then you can decide whether or not you are still interested in the property.

Minor termite damage in a home may seem like nothing to you; especially if it’s not immediately obvious. But purchasing a home that has minor termite damage definitely has it’s drawbacks. Because termites do most of their damage inside walls and floors or ceilings, there may be a lot of damage that can’t be seen. And if you can see some damage from termites in the home, there’s a good chance these insects were destroying the wood of the structure here long before damage was obvious. Calling in a professional termite inspector is the best way to find out if more termite damage is lurking inside the structure, and it’s the only way to know for certain if this house is worth your time and money.