Is buying a house with a termite problem a huge mistake??? I am looking at a house that probably has a termite problem in Ringwood (victoria) I will be putting in an offer pending pest and building inspections? It is a relativley old weatherboard, but has had some recent renovations including the backyard being subdivided and a new place built behind.
Is paying 'land value' only ok a good way to get around the financial risk?
Can you build on treated 'termite infested land' with certainty?
hmm Termites… tell me everything you know
btw – I am a first home buyer, wanting to spend max $450k with the view to live there for 5+ years then upgrade
It really depends on the hidden damage to the house. I have a concrete and steel house and termites. As the structural supports are steel the termites have eaten the timber skirtings around windows and at the base of the concrete walls instead. Termites live in a nest in my case in old tree trunks in the back yard so for $1800 I am getting a termite treatment done that should fix the termites up.
My parents had steel caps placed on the stumps that stop termites getting back to the nest. Apparently they die if they can't get back to the nest.
If you want a termite proof house a steel frame is a help as the structural damage usually hidden from the buyer is a bad thing to have.
There are pipes that can be buried around the outside of a house with a poison liquid that kills termites but it needs to be renewed regularly with poison.http://www.termimesh.com.au/whyChooseTermimesh.cfm
http://www.amalpest.com.au/Termites/YourOptions/TermiteTreatments/TermiteBarriers/Can you build on termite infested land. I never though I would see termites in Cranbourne Victoria .
I do not think you can have absolute certainty but I think you can invest in termite barriers in the hope that it stops termites.
There will be a near by nest that could need treatment.Termites also love to eat polystyrene more than wood and some houses have polystyrene covered with a concrete render walls !
So you really need to know what sort of structural damage has been done to the house.
Structural damage equals an unsafe house and an expensive repair if possible or demolishment.
Weatherboards can be replaced easily but structural timber is more difficult and expensive to fix.i'm guessing termite treatment is expensive
1 are the termites active or has it been treated? If active, I’d probably steer clear. Building inspection companies put many disclaimers on their reports to cover themselves as a requirement of their insurers.
2 termites are natives of Oz, they live all over the country. Active nests can be 50m or more from the point of entry.
3 vigilance is the best way to stop termites ie termite barriers & regular inspections
4 termites eat cellular, found in timber & paper etc.We had termites in one room in one of our properties and we use termite baits, now that was a waste of $$ within a month they had travelled through a join in the concrete floor and were in another room. It cost us $5000 all up to treat them with chemicals. Since then we get the property thoroughly checked each year and no termites so far 2 years later. Our neighbour had extensive termite damage (didn’t tell us until we mentioned we had them!!!), she used baits and they continued to chew through her house, even more extensive damage later, she used a cut price enviro friendly company and has had to keep treating them as they keep coming back. Go in hard to wipe them out if you ask me! Each year I ensure all our properties are thoroughly checked.
thanks for the replies:)
agree with all the above. My 2 bobs worth is find out from the pest inspector what species the termites are. Some of them eat houses to dust, others just make little trails and seldom go very far above ground level. They are everywhere (except Tassie) and so finding them is not neccessarily terrible, it all depends on the degree of damage they have caused, and sometimes knowing the species helps. However on that house you should get a pest/building inspection then if they are present but have not damaged it too much, get a couple of quotes to fix the problem and either insist on them being pretreated by vendor or make an offer at reduced price. given that you will have to spend to treat and repair damaged bits. Personally I would get as much off the price as possible and use it as a bargaining tool.(so long as your inspection doesn't say it is about to fall down)
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