When It Comes to Termites, Choose Your Advice Carefully I receive notifications from Nextdoor on a regular basis. Inevitably, someone posts asking for help with a termite problem. The responses range from home remedies to recommendations for some of the largest termite control companies in the country. I often want to respond to some of
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Six Ways Homeowners Can Invite Termites We recently treated a home in Carlsbad where the homeowner’s front fascia was riddled with nail holes from hanging Christmas lights. Eventually, the wood became completely infested with drywood termites. Unfortunately, these termites weren’t in the Christmas spirit. They took advantage of those nail holes as potential entry points
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5 Things the Termite Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know In my time in the termite industry, I’ve learned that many homeowners pay more than they need to or receive unnecessary treatments because they don’t know how the industry works. Most termite companies are honest, but the way the industry operates often leads homeowners toward
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Not All Fumigations Are Created Equal I recently completed a termite inspection for an elderly woman who had discovered termite droppings beneath the sill plate along her home’s foundation. Finding droppings in that location usually means drywood termites are living inside the wall, and in most cases, fumigation is the best solution. She told me
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Working Smarter in the Termite Business I consider myself a creative person. Whenever I find a way to perform part of my job more efficiently—whether as a termite company owner, inspector, or technician—I’m eager to adopt it. Over the years I’ve developed a few simple systems and tools that make me more productive while also
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You Don’t Have to Tent First, let’s make a distinction between have to and need to. There are certainly situations where fumigation is the best option, but it’s your home and ultimately your decision. No one can force you to tent your house. When making a major decision like fumigation, it’s important to consider all
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7 Ways to Avoid Tenting Your Home I’ve never met a homeowner who looks forward to fumigating their home. In fact, the fear of tenting is often what prevents people from contacting a termite company in the first place. Many of my fumigation proposals take weeks to be approved, while homeowners frequently agree to alternative
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It All Starts with Moisture I recently inspected a home in San Diego where the homeowner was convinced fumigation was necessary. She wanted to move quickly, so I rearranged my Monday schedule to make the first available fumigation date that Friday. The home had experienced a major plumbing failure that resulted in flooding. All of
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The Cost of a Free Termite Inspection I don’t know a single company that charges for a standard termite inspection. The only inspections I charge for are escrow inspections—industry norm—but everything else is free. Still, very few homeowners want their home inspected, even when it costs nothing. Who wants to find out they have termites,
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The Art of Local Treating for Termites Local treatment for drywood termites can be extremely effective—if the inspection is thorough, the right termiticide is used, and the technician performing the work cares and knows what they’re doing. The Termite Inspection A local treatment is only as good as the inspection that guides it. Unless the
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