Termites, Please Come To My House!
When I first started selling real estate in Maryland I didn't know anything about termites. Where I moved from we didn't have termites at all and I had never even seen one. Now, I know more than I care to and when I'm selling new construction I always ask if the builder has treated the ground and the area around the house for termites prior to construction. When I did my own rehab recently I just went ahead and had the house treated for termites even though it didn't need it, but you can never be too safe.
If you are thinking of renting, buying or selling a home give me a call today and we'll talk about the market conditions and what your home could possibly be worth in today's market place if you are thinking of selling. You can save thousands by listing your home with Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc.. If you are considering buying a home, there is no better time than now to buy. The tax savings and wealth building a lone is worth the plunge into todays market.
In keeping with saluting our heroes, during 2010 Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc is continuing to waive the administrative fees for active duty military, retired military and the families of fallen military, as well as policemen, firemen and emt's. If you enter into a contract by the New Year's eve Advance Realty Anne Arundel Inc. will waive the admin fee at settlement. This is a $350 savings. If you are thinking about buying or selling a home give Advance Realty Anne Arundel a call and receive full service real estate assistance from an experienced agent. Our office is open 7 days a week and we can be reached at 410-761-1550.
These days, when you buy a brick house, it is not built the same way as was a brick house 40 years ago, or so.
In "the olden days" the brick work was structural. The wood framing inside the house was attached into the brick walls.
In todays' construction the structure of the house is the wood framing, with a brick facade on the outside. And this brick is separated from the wood framing by an inch or two of space to allow for moisture removal. It is attached to the house with small straps which are nailed onto the studs and anchored between the courses of bricks.
Thus endeth the lesson.
Often these brick facades begin on top of wood forms. And sometimes, when they back fill around the house, they leave these forms in place.
How do I know this? Because one or two years later, after the poorly compacted and back filled soil has settled, these forms are revealed. And not being of pressure-treated wood, they are termite invitations! Right to the edge of the house!
On this new construction many forms were still in place. Wanting to make sure they were removed I pointed this potential problem out to my clients. Of course the supervisors always say that they remove these forms. And maybe they intend to. But sometimes not!
A termite does not need much of a crack to get into a house. Depending on the termite specie, a gap of 1/32" to 1/64" is enough to get them inside!
My recommendation: It sounds like a little thing, but probably it is not. If you are building a new house, or have a client that is, check for wood left attached to the house, or even lying around, and make sure it is removed.
Comments(0)