wrote C
shenk" wrote:

like wht your area might have as thats the type where they just come out
and
monitor as needed. Orkin has a spray that lasts up to 15 years as a
preventive but if you get an infestation, they pay to fix it once you
have
the place treated. We just did that on our 50YO house.

Maintianing the warentee is cheap in comparison to an infestation and
cleaning one out.

That's the bottom line. I have a program where I pay about $60 a year
for a policy that covers annual inspection, application of some
indicator wood stakes outside to find termites before they get in the
house, and free treatment if termites are found. Seems a reasonable
deal compared to the cost of treatment. Of course it all depends on
how prevelant termites are in your area, type of construction, etc.

Yup. I'm paying that a month, but thats a pro-rated cost over 3 years for
both the warentee and cleaning an active infestation out (fortunately caught
early with minimal damage, none structural). Most of that is cost of
treatment. Policy alone after that is 120$ a year in my area but I get a
deduction on my homeowners insurance due to using Orkin so my net cost is
about the same as yours annually.

Policy cost is also related to how 'active' an area is on termites. Mine is
a very active area. If i keep the policy active, I get retreatments as
needed at no extra cost (automatically at about the 10 year point) and can
transfer the policy 'live' to a new owner if I sell later. I learned quite
a bit in that termite line recently as you can see. If I ever get another
house, I will simply not buy it if it hasnt got a transferrable warrentee
with a very high preference for Orkin.

Our house has had 2 previous infestations and both caught early and killed
off, but we didnt know about the product lines so fell for the hype and
ended up with a 3rd infestation. Now, we have the solid stuff that lasts
for a decade or more and a complete guarentee. The earlier 2 cleanings were
'cheaper' but the products used, turns out last 6 months or so in my area.
Live and learn eh?