Reaction to Pest Reports

Agents always worry about the results of a pest inspection. The fear is that it will come out bad or too high. That was the case in a fourplex I was selling. I thought, “What will the owner say? What will the buyers think?”

The damage came out around $65,000. That’s a lot. But on looking closer, $26,000 was on the deck, and I thought, “No way. that deck should cost that much. Maybe $3,000, you know?” It would have to be checked out by a contractor as I’m not a licensed contractor. I’m just going by my experience.

So you have to read the reports carefully when they come out high to see why it is so. Remember that termite companies have to be insured, bonded, have workmen’s comp, and they have to guarantee the job. That’s why they charge a lot.

There is a seller/investor who hires the termite company to inspect and provide a report, and then he gets his contractors/handymen to do the work because they can do it cheaper. Then he calls the termite company back to recheck and issue a clearance if the problems were corrected.

If you get a big pest report, look at it and ask a contractor how much they can do fix it for. It’s usually much less.

If you’re a seller, you can fix some of the problems or understand that the buyer may want consideration.

If you’re the buyer, make an offer accordingly, renegotiate, buy it as-is or walk away.

No matter if you’re the seller or a buyer, do a pest inspection.