What Should You Check About Termites Before Buying a Home in Bonita Springs?

Book a wood-destroying organism inspection, often called a WDO or termite inspection, with a licensed pest control company during your inspection period. Then read the report for three things: any live activity, any visible damage, and any sign of past treatment. Ask the seller for the treatment history and any termite bond, and find out who is responsible for treatment if the home is in a condominium or an HOA that maintains the exterior. Those answers tell you whether you are looking at a routine maintenance item, a repair to price in, or a question to resolve before you commit.

I am Kris Asquith, Broker Associate at Premiere Plus Realty, and I help buyers and sellers across Bonita Springs and eight other Southwest Florida markets. Termites are common throughout Florida's warm, humid climate, so finding a record of past treatment on a Bonita Springs home is not unusual and is not by itself a reason to walk away. What matters is whether there is activity now, whether earlier damage was repaired properly, and whether the home is protected going forward.

It is a separate inspection by a separately licensed professional. A general home inspector looks at the structure and systems of the whole home. A WDO inspection is carried out by a pest control company licensed by the state, and it looks specifically for wood-destroying organisms. Florida law defines those as termites, powderpost beetles, old house borers and wood-decaying fungi, which is why the report covers wood rot as well as insects.

The results are written on a standard state report form, so reports from different companies follow the same layout. Some home inspectors hold a pest control license and offer both, but often they are two appointments, and it makes sense to book them together so both reports arrive inside your inspection window. My article on what a home inspection actually covers explains where the general inspection stops and the specialists begin; the same applies in Bonita Springs. Some loan programs, VA loans among them, generally call for a WDO inspection on a Florida purchase, so ask your lender early whether yours does.

Two broad kinds, and they are treated differently. Subterranean termites live in the soil and travel up into a home through cracks, gaps and plumbing penetrations in the slab, often building mud tubes along foundation walls to do it. Florida has native subterranean species, and invasive Formosan and Asian subterranean termites are also established in parts of the state. Drywood termites live entirely inside the wood they eat, with no contact with the soil, and they can be found in roof framing, door and window frames, furniture and trim.

The signs your inspector looks for differ too. Subterranean activity often shows as mud tubes, damaged wood that sounds hollow, or mud packed into joints. Drywood activity often shows as small, hard pellets, called frass, piled below a kick-out hole. Both kinds swarm at certain times of year, and piles of discarded wings on windowsills or near light fixtures are a common clue that a colony is nearby.

It records what the inspector could see on the day. The report states whether visible evidence of wood-destroying organisms was found, and if so, whether it was live activity, evidence such as damage, droppings, shelter tubes or wings, or damage alone. It also notes any visible evidence of previous treatment, and it lists the areas the inspector could not reach.

Read that last part closely. A WDO inspection is visual and non-invasive, so it does not look behind drywall, under flooring or inside sealed spaces. Attics full of insulation or stored boxes, garages lined with shelves, and areas behind built-in cabinetry often appear on the list of inaccessible or obstructed areas. A clean report with a long list of areas the inspector could not see is a narrower answer than a clean report on a home that was easy to inspect. If something important was blocked, ask whether the seller can clear it and the inspector can return before your inspection period ends.

Ask for the paperwork. A record of past treatment is common, and a well documented one is reassuring. Ask the seller who treated the home, when, what kind of treatment it was, and whether any damaged wood was repaired afterward. For drywood termites, a whole-structure fumigation, where the house is tented, is the standard approach to an established infestation, and smaller localized treatments are also used. For subterranean termites, the usual approaches are a liquid treatment in the soil around and under the home, or a system of bait stations installed around the perimeter.

If wood was repaired or replaced, the work may have needed a permit depending on what was involved, especially if it reached roof framing or structural members. My article on checking a Bonita Springs home's permit history shows how to read the city's record, and my article on what to check on the roof before buying in Bonita Springs covers the attic and framing side of the same question.

Ask, because a bond can be worth having and the terms vary. A termite bond, sometimes called a termite warranty or service agreement, is a contract between the homeowner and a pest control company. Some cover retreatment only if termites return; others also cover repair of new damage, usually up to a stated limit. Most renew each year for a fee, and many require a periodic inspection to stay in force.

Ask the seller for a copy of the current contract, what kind of termites it covers, whether it covers repairs or retreatment only, when it renews, and whether it transfers to a new owner and at what cost. Transfer usually needs the company's agreement and paperwork before or soon after closing. If the home is new construction, Florida's building code requires termite protection when a home is built, so ask the builder for the documentation and any warranty that comes with it. My article on new construction or resale in Bonita Springs covers what else to request from a builder.

It depends on the documents. In a condominium, the declaration sets what the association maintains, and treatment of the building structure and common elements usually sits with the association. Tenting a multi-unit building for drywood termites has to be coordinated across every unit, and its cost may come from the operating budget, reserves or a special assessment. In some villa and attached-home neighborhoods, the HOA maintains roofs or exteriors and may hold a termite contract for the whole community.

Ask the association whether it has a termite contract, which buildings it covers, when buildings were last treated, and whether any treatment is planned. The board minutes and the budget are where those answers usually show up. My article on what to request from a Bonita Springs HOA and club lists the documents worth reading before you commit.

Sort it the same way you would any inspection finding. Live activity calls for treatment before or soon after closing, and it is worth agreeing in writing who arranges it and pays for it. Visible damage calls for a closer look by a licensed contractor, with a written estimate, before you decide whether to ask for a repair, a credit or a change in terms. Evidence of an old, documented treatment with no current activity is usually a maintenance item: keep the bond going, or arrange your own protection after closing. Your contract's inspection terms set how long you have to decide, so book the WDO inspection the day you go under contract. My step-by-step buying process shows where the inspection period falls.

If you are selling, gather your treatment records, any bond paperwork and receipts for repaired wood before you list. Florida sellers are generally expected to disclose known defects that materially affect a home's value and are not readily visible, and past termite damage is a common question on disclosure forms. My page on buying a home in Bonita Springs covers the wider picture, and I am glad to go through a WDO report on a specific home with you. Get in touch or call (239) 300-1427.

This article is a general overview and is not legal, pest control or construction advice about any particular property. Confirm the specifics with a licensed pest control company, your home inspector, a licensed contractor, a real estate attorney and the City of Bonita Springs.