Hi All
So I had a building & pest done on a property today, the inspector pointed out a small piece of water damage at the bottom of the wooden flashing against the garage door. He picked out some rot along with some small bits of mud & said it looked like old activity. There was no visible activity or damage anywhere else. He said he was “quite sure” it looked like old termite damage but could also just be water damage? He reported it as “Termite activity” on the report. He advised removing the timber & investigating further.
I mentioned it to the agent who was there at the time & she had a bit of a wobbly about it & said “there is a lot of interest in this property & the owners are not going to carry out further investigations”. She then had a bit of a rant about discrediting an inspector for claiming her own property needed 10k termite protection done when she sold? Apparently the inspector just wants me to use them again on more inspections was her story.
The agent later left a voice message advising I come remove the wood & have a look. The house is 20 years old in Logan, they are claiming it is steal frame so there can be no issue.
I have until Friday to walk away, it’s a good buy, but I am not going to even entertain the idea of a risk like this on my first buy.
What experience / suggestions do people have with situations of the like?
Should I request the inspector go back for further investigation? Or just leave it up to the owners to prove otherwise? Not sure I would be all that confident in Owners reports etc.?
Thanks
Simon
Hi Simon,
My family and I moved to Brisbane over 30 years ago. Even back then, I regularly heard the words “termite activity” from inspectors. So long as it was “old activity” there seemed to be no big deal. Comments we heard then were like “Every second house in Qld has termite activity”.
You have done the smart thing and have commissioned a pest inspector to take a look. He came back with “old activity” on one piece of wood against a garage door, and no activity anywhere else? I presume he went UNDER the house too?
He reported it as “Termite activity” on the report. He advised removing the timber & investigating further.
As expected !! If YOU were an inspector who found “old activity”, and then had to produce a written report, you WOULD put a mention in the report, and even suggest further action on your part (even though he essentially said to your face “Don’t bother”). See, he didn’t know if you might rely on that report to shave a few more $$ off the price, so he covered his own posterior, and now, what you do with that report is what YOU do.
Part of due diligence is in defining where problems exist, or any risk of problems, then choosing how much you want to pay to “insure” against them, or to walk away if you cannot mitigate them.
In this case, you might pay him to come back and do more, or you pull off a board and use common sense to tell YOU if you need his help. Maybe it really is old damage, and maybe you just need to replace a board and keep an eye on that area.
Re “leave it up to the owners”, I would say “check it yourself”. If you are allowed to pull off a board and take a look behind it, then draw your conclusions from there. It may well be just one piece of wood that needs replacing – shame to kill a deal if that is all it is.
You seem to think it is a good deal otherwise….
Benny
Hi Benny
Thanks for the reply. I have to admit just hearing the word got me panicking, however with a clearer head this morning I have booked another inspector to have a look tomorrow. the house is on a slab so no inspecting under that ;)
I am somewhat bothered that the inspector didn’t go into the roof cavity, he claimed first that it was somewhat obstructed so he just stuck his head in, he then said it was a hot day so didn’t want to go up. When I questioned his report stating timber frame & the owner claiming steal frame he was unable to state what what material was holding up the roof. Now I am no expert on this, but I am going to assume a fair bit could be discovered up there & him not being able to tell me what the framing is made of suggests he didn’t have much of a look. I will be bringing this up with his employers if I find out tomorrow it is in fact steal as this will rule out structural issues at least from termite activity.
“Old termite activity” a house full of white ants is something I would like to be able to differentiate. The Wife would put a quick end to my investing endeavours If I have us going backwards on the first one.
I must say I am enjoying the process though, more fun than drama on the telly.
Cheers
Simon
Hi Simon,
I am going to assume a fair bit could be discovered up there & him not being able to tell me what the framing is made of suggests he didn’t have much of a look.
You have your head screwed on – sounds like his opinion might not be worth a pinch of hte proverbial after all. Under the circs, the cost to you for a second inspection could be a bloody good insurance option.
Well done.
Benny
Hi Simon,
I’d steer clear of the property – the risk seems too high.
Consider this – the next buyer of the property (when you sell) is likely to notice the same reference to ‘termites’ in the inspection report. While it may not actually be a major issue, the potential impression itself is a risk. This highlights the importance of a building inspection.
Best of luck in the Logan area – I’d definitely recommend it, and someone I am looking to invest for my next IP.
Regards,
AjayHi Ajay
Thanks for the reply.
I had a termite inspector come look at the property the next day. He took one look at the spot the building inspector claimed termite activity & said “Na that’s water damage”
He gave the property a good going over and got up into the roof, something the first (much younger) inspector did not do.
He said it was the first property he has seen in 25years that has steal framing under a wood framed roof. He was also able to show me what some real “old termite activity” looked like. there was some tracking on an old post down the back of the property.
Glad I got the second inspection, tricky situation when you are new at this having advice & opinions coming from every angle when an inspector shouts “termites”. I was promptly refunded the fee of the first inspection after giving them some “Feedback”. I now have a pest inspector I have some faith in. Good learning experience that.
Cheers All
S
Nice result, Simo – well done !! Worth the “second opinion” eh?
Benny
Good for you. You buy the place?
BTW, you might like John Pupavac, of BPI Gold Coast North. Great inspector, thorough, explains everything well, does building and pest, doesn’t mind if you pester him later with questions. He’s done a few for me.
All the best, and good luck!
Hi Guys
Yes Benny worth the second opinion in this case for sure.
Have moved forward with the sale, unconditional next Tuesday with settlement & renovations starting straight after Easter.
Cheers
S
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