When I talk to a potential customer for the first time, the question I hear most often is, “How much will it cost?” If I hesitate, they’ll ask for a ballpark figure. If they’re thinking about fumigation, they’ll throw in their home’s square footage to help me along. I’m often surprised that a homeowner—especially someone in their 40s or 50s—has no idea what termite control costs. It sets off alarm bells because it usually means they’ve neglected their home. Remember, termites are a fact of life in San Diego.

I always explain that I need to inspect the home before giving any price. Only after an inspection will I know what’s going on and what it will take to correct the issues, if they exist. Termite inspections are technically free. Even if I find termites everywhere, the homeowner owes me nothing. But there is a cost to me: time, gas, wear and tear, and opportunity cost. I can’t inspect two homes at once, and choosing one inspection over another might mean that while I’m helping one homeowner, the next chooses another company before I have a chance to look at their property.

An inexperienced homeowner might question my pricing—until they get other bids that are higher or similar. Sometimes a customer will ask how long the treatment will take, and when I tell them, they’ll feel the price is too high.

But the time spent administering a treatment is only one part of the cost. Remember: the inspection was free. I don’t make a living inspecting homes; I make a living treating them. When calculating the cost of a treatment, you have to consider the time required, potential callbacks, follow-up inspections, chemical costs, driving distance, and more. Some costs can be calculated. Others—like how difficult a job will be—can’t. If I think a customer is struggling financially, I may try to make the price more affordable. If someone clearly values quality and has the means, I won’t be as aggressive on price. 

Startup cost is another factor. When I launched my company, there were months when I didn’t earn a penny but still had to spend thousands. Then there’s overhead—the cost of doing business. Customers don’t want to hear about my advertising expenses, but without growth, I might not be in business long enough to fulfill their warranty. The state requires me to maintain a bond and a million-dollar liability policy. Those premiums are based on revenue. And while customers don’t care about my costs, any responsible homeowner wouldn’t want me stepping onto their property uninsured.

I can be aggressive with pricing because my overhead is much lower than that of larger companies with dozens of employees and multiple offices. Big companies may benefit from economies of scale, but I also know that if I grow too fast, overhead can sink me.

My goal is always to bring value. I want customers to feel they can reach out to me anytime. I want them to know that even if a treatment seems quick, tremendous care went into it. I aim to deliver a quality inspection every time—from the first visit to every follow-up. When I complete a borate treatment, I’m not just spraying visible wood—I’m crawling deep into the attic to reach every side of the framing. When I local treat, I don’t just treat the infested board; I treat the adjacent ones too. And if drilling on the front of a fascia board would leave a visible scar, I’ll take the extra time to drill from the inside.

I clean up or mask all existing termite evidence so customers don’t end up paying twice to treat the same infestation.

Just yesterday, I inspected a home that was entirely wood—wood siding inside and out, wood ceilings, wood eaves—wood everywhere. On top of that, the roof was fragile, making fumigation nearly impossible. When I gave the homeowner my price, he asked what it would cost without a warranty. Sure, I could’ve lowered the price by cutting the warranty, but he was exactly the kind of customer who needs a warranty. I held firm. Maybe he’ll find a cheaper company that only warranties the areas they treat. But he won’t be satisfied in the long run. He’ll save money upfront, then pay again later when termites show up elsewhere. The combined cost will exceed what I would have charged for a treatment that included a full-structure warranty.

There is a cost to value—and that’s what I intend to deliver.