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The importance of home maintenance ...

By
Real Estate Agent SL3263582

The importance of home maintenance ...

 

Today my experience as a Realtor came in handy in my own home in a way I never thought it would.   I have had a few boxes sitting on my window seat that I have been meaning to go through.  Today, I decided to get those out of the way and as I remove the last box from the window seat I notice something that looks all too familiar! EVIDENCE OF DRY WOOD TERMITES!!  I started to panic!! I bought a block home at the beginning of my career to insure I would never have to worry about termites.  Where had I gone wrong!?  I immediately called my local Massey technician. 

 

Turns out, even in a block home, there is still plenty of wood for termites to feast on!  After a thorough inspection of my home, we determine the problem is contained to the one area above my window seat (thank you Lord) and it gets even better... I have carpenter ants as well that eat the termites so there is NO ACTIVE TERMITE INFESTATION!! (Thank you carpenter ants!)  The technician says carpenter ants and termites do not get along.  My hunny said "There is a battle going on in our home that we know nothing about!!" LOL

 

 

I am sharing my story because I work with so many customers who I hear say they will not purchase a wood home and only want a block home to avoid termite problems.  Apparently I was not the only one who had the same idea!  But in this business, I am always learning and today was a learning experience!  It reminds me the importance of regular maintenance on your home.  And whether you have a block home or not it is important to have occasional check ups from the experts to insure you do not run into a disaster much like the one I avoided.  Termite spot treatment is not too bad but if they are not contained to one area, you may have to tent your home and that can run in the thousands! Most pest control companies also offer a termite bond which I am looking into and HIGHLY recommend. 

 

On a side note, during todays inspection we also discovered some black mold around the window seals and corners of the walls around that same window seat.  We will be remedying that situation by clearing out the damage and caulking the cracks around those areas on the outside.  It is also important to look for any cracks in the stucco, window frames, etc and caulk those up to avoid moisture intrusion.  In the words of my favorite inspector..."A little bit of water can cause a lot of damage!" 

 

Well friends, that is all I have for today.  I hope that my 'almost' fiasco helps you avoid your own fiasco in the future! Until next time...

 

The importance of home maintenance ...

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Comments (12)

Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Audrey- good thing you caught that early!   And I too would not have thought that termites would be in a block home!!!  When we bought our first home in Florida the termite contract conveyed with the new owner, thank goodness. 

Aug 25, 2015 11:36 AM
Audrey Black Maine
Mount Dora, FL

I know Kathy Streib ! I cannot remember if I had a bond or not but I know I am getting on now! 

Aug 25, 2015 11:49 AM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

 

       Audrey Black Maine  Thank you for my Ah ha moment!

Aug 29, 2015 10:34 AM
Gita Bantwal
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel

I hope home owners  will read this post. Thank you for sharing.

Aug 29, 2015 09:23 PM
Debbie Gartner
The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY
The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

I never even heard of the term block home.  I will have to look that up.  I'm guessing that is not big in our area.  Here most homes are built on wood, and those on slab seem to be lower end homes and have various issues (and challenging to do hardwood floors).

Aug 29, 2015 10:18 PM
Barbara Todaro
RE/MAX Executive Realty - Happily Retired - Franklin, MA
Previously Affiliated with The Todaro Team

Good morning, Audrey Black Maine your methods in Florida for termite extermination is certainly different from what we experience in New England....they drill inside the basement along the perimeter of the foundation and put chemical....the same is done outside and then chemical in the ground.... termites go into the ground after eating the wood....and the chemical kills them.... very expensive extermination....

Aug 29, 2015 10:23 PM
Wayne Martin
Wayne M Martin - Chicago, IL
Real Estate Broker - Retired

Audrey, had a friend with a CBS home who put baseboard in his garage and ended up with termites. Enjoy your day!

Aug 29, 2015 11:40 PM
Kristin Johnston - REALTOR®
RE/MAX Platinum - Waukesha, WI
Giving Back With Each Home Sold!

I am glad that I didnt miss your post, thanks to Kathy's weekly summary!

Aug 30, 2015 12:13 AM
Kat Palmiotti
eXp Commercial, Referral Divison - Kalispell, MT
Helping your Montana dreams take root

Very useful information - good thing you knew what you were looking at, and caught it early.

Aug 30, 2015 02:00 AM
Olga Simoncelli
Veritas Prime, LLC dba Veritas Prime Real Estate - New Fairfield, CT
CONSULTANT, Real Estate Services & Risk Management

Checking for termites and for mold is quite routine in our area and unfortunately termites are often found. In CT, there is a special form for mold disclosure since it's been such a serious health irritant.

Aug 30, 2015 05:08 AM
Grant Schneider
Performance Development Strategies - Armonk, NY
Your Coach Helping You Create Successful Outcomes

Audrey - I know that is a bigger concern in some parts of the country but here in the Northeast we must be careful as well.

Aug 30, 2015 09:02 AM
Kate Elim
Dockside Realty - Spotsylvania, VA
Realtor 540-226-1964, Selling Homes & Land a

Hi Audrey...Sharing your experience will hopefully encourage some others to have an inspection done. You never know what little bugs might be lurking in your home. 

Kate

Aug 30, 2015 12:57 PM