How To Look At A House
McGarry and Madsen's home inspection blog for buyers of
site-built, mobile/manufactured and modular homes
Do I need a termite inspection for a USDA loan?
Monday, August 26, 2019
"Termite/pest inspections are not required unless the lender, appraiser, inspector or State law requires the inspection to confirm the property is free of active infestation,” according to the appraisal/inspection guidelines of the USDA.
Lenders that do require a termite inspection use the Termite Infestation Probability (TIP) Map to determine whether an inspection is necessary. See our blog post What is a TIP Zone Map? for more on this.
A termite inspection is officially called a WDO inspection, an acronym for Wood Destroying Organism, because the inspector also looks for signs of wood-decaying fungi (wood rot) and wood boring beetles.
Also, see our blog posts Do I need a termite inspection for an FHA loan? and Do I need a termite inspection for a VA loan?
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To learn more about termites, see these other blog posts:
• Should I be worried about termites if my neighbor's house is being tented?
• Is the WDO (termite) inspector allowed to poke holes in my wood siding and trim?
• Do carpenter ants cause structural damage to houses in Florida?
• How long before closing can you have a WDO (termite) inspection done?
• How long does Bora-Care® last?
• Why is it a mistake to store lumber in the crawl space under a house?
• Does the presence of carpenter ants in a house indicate that there are probably also termites?
• How do termites infest a house and remain hidden while doing major damage?
• Are homes in Florida required to have termite protection?
• If termite damage appears to be old, does that mean that termites may no longer be present?
• How do I know if my WDO/termite report is "clear"?
• When do termites swarm in Florida?
• Does a recent termite company inspection sticker mean there are no termites?
• Can a mobile/manufactured home get termites?
• Do I have to tent the house if I have termites?
• What is the difference between a subterranean termite and a drywood termite?
• What are the green plastic discs in the ground around the house?
• How do termites get into a concrete block house?
• How do I treat wood rot that's listed in my termite-WDO report?
• Do I really need a termite-WDO inspection?
• What's causing those holes in the fascia?
• Does wood chip mulch in the yard attract termites?
• I think I have termites. What does a termite look like?
• I'm buying a concrete block house. Do I still need a termite inspection?
• I saw a little termite damage on the baseboard. Should I be concerned?
• Why do termite inspectors tap the wood siding and baseboard wood in a home?
• What does a termite mud tube look like?
Visit our TERMITES, WOOD ROT AND PESTS page for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.
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