Termite issues in Richmond
Your termite prevention guide
It's time to lay down the law. You can't afford to have termites freeloading in your house and eating the materials you spent your savings on. So every homeowner should be on the watch for termites.According to The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the little bugs cost U.S. residents at least $1 billion a year for termite prevention and repairing termite damage. But, you'll spend less money in the long run if you take a few steps to keep termites away from your house.
If they're already in your yard or they've just started encroaching on your house, you could still minimize the cost termite damage can have on your accounts and get them out.
We'll give you advice on scaring termites away from your property and getting rid of the ones already there, and we'll share estimates on what you're likely to pay.
There's a termite-free world just around the corner.
Stop the termites!
You have a few options that depend on the size of your problem. But, first, let's talk about what you can do to protect your house from termites.- Check for leaks in your roof and air conditioner.
- Termites hide in warm, dark places – like garages, storage units, and water heater closets. This Old House Ventures, LLC recommends cleaning gutters and pipes and other corners of your house that offer secluded homes to termites.
- Get as much wood off the ground as possible.
- If you have wooden material attached to your house that must touch the ground, you can replace the soil around your home with sand. The Home Depot says termites cannot build tunnels through the sand.
- Try not to stack firewood against your house and pull up any tree stumps in your yard.
- You'll want to leave at least 6 inches of space between the ground and your wooden decks, porches, and patios.
- There's such a thing as termite-resistant wood! Use it in areas where you have to let the wood touch the ground.
- Get home inspections regularly.
- Cover openings like vents outside your home with termite resistant-steel mesh.
Get rid of your termites.
If you already have termites, it's not the end of your house. You can get rid of them and repair the damage they've caused. You're going to need to use pesticides.We know they're nasty, and no one likes them, but you don't have many other options at this point. The Home Depot recommends you hire professional pest control specialists.
Spending money to hire professionals can be expensive, but it's better than paying the even higher cost of termite damage.
According to manta.com, the price to treat your home for termites in Richmond will likely range between $73 - $716. Homeyou.com puts the average cost at $304. That's a lot cheaper than replacing the joists in your basement.
Here are some of the steps you can ask the professionals to take:
- Treat the soil – You can hire a company to treat the soil around your house with an insecticide. They can also apply the chemicals to any wood around your home if termites are inside it.
- Your pest control professionals can place termite traps strategically around your home. When the termites crawl inside, they'll get covered in a slow-acting insecticide or insect growth regulator. So now you have dozens of insecticide-doused termites returning to their colony, like trojan horses.
- Foam insecticides can be applied to places where liquid pesticides won't work
- You can also use an insecticide in the form of dust.
- You can have your home or other buildings on your property fumigated.
The pesticides will get rid of your termites, but they won't prevent more from coming back. So make sure you consider using the precautions we already shared that will help you prevent termites from coming into your home.
Coping with termite damage
A pesticide will get rid of your termites, but it won't repair the damage they left behind. You can hire a team to come in and clean up the termite mess, but luckily, when it comes to dealing with damage, you have other options. For example, you could consider selling your house.Buyers in the traditional real estate market might have requirements for you to treat termite damage before selling to them. But We Buy Ugly Houses® Richmond doesn't care.
We'll look at your house, and we can make you a fair, fast cash offer even if you have termite damage. So if you don't want to go through the trouble of fixing up a damaged house, call us at 866-200-6475.
Call We Buy Ugly Houses® at 866-200-6475
