Actually ... as with everything else in life.. it was some sort of
"confusion" between the realtor and the seller and the other realtors, etc..
They now say that he "fixed" the existing termite damage ... BUT the guy has
Sentricon installed which is expensive to maintain.. and I have been reading
that it has questionable reliability. Also, there is evidently some "small
fungus problem" with the bottom of the garage door and some other outside
woodwork. This is supposedly where the damage is at. I offerred about 12k
less than he is asking.. and he wants more than that. The appraisal seems
shady .... and he has some half finished addition attached to the back of
the house (no heat, connectiing hallways, floor, windows, etc)...all of the
other "buyers" have been with higher offers but requesting repairs ...
namely the roof which is original since '87 .... he also isn't willing to to
do any further repairs... so I think it's time to move on. Thanks for all
the replies ... I'm sure I'll have more questions as this hunt for my first
house continues!
"Trent©" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 24 Mar 2004 12:29:46 -0500, "techshare"
wrote:

Hello,

Is it usually possible to get an accurate estimate of the cost of
repairing
termite damage?

No. Only the termites know for sure how much damage they've done.
And most of them don't remember what they saw anyway! lol

I am asking, because I am considering buying a house with a
certain amount of termite damage. However, I fail to see how a home
inspector can really know what the costs will be to repair said damage.

He can't...unless he's also a contractor. Not many are. And he'd be
guessing anyway.

He
doesn't have x-ray vision ... how can anyone really know what it will
cost
once the termites start chewing up the wood? I am talking about complete
repair costs (frame work, drywall work, flooring, etc). Any help on this
would be appreciated.

Termites are not as destructive as some other bugs. You can usually
easily tell where they've been...and where they're goin' at the end of
the day. Powder-post beetles are much more destructive.

Anyway...have a look at the damage...and known paths...with the
exterminator. Then get a contractor to take a look at those
areas...and get HIS guess on the extent of the damage.

After that, the amount you want to risk on that 'bet' is up to you.
If yer good at negotiating...are kinda handy...and willing to take the
risk, you can sometimes make a very good profit on this kind of
property. After all, the leverage is on your side. Not many folks
will even wanna CONSIDER the property...and the seller knows that.

If you DO decide to buy it, keep all your records...so that you can
prove that all the incidence and damage was there BEFORE you purchased
the house.

I'm also wondering if there is some sort of a
"checklist" out there for what home buyers should know with regard to
termites, termite damage, and preventative termite protection when
looking
at a home for sale.

Google is your friend!! lol And so is the public library.

Good luck.


Have a nice week...

Trent

What do you call a smart blonde?
A golden retriever.