Why Homeowners Should Play it Safe with Termites

Pest infestations can be the bane of a homeowner’s existence. Termites, for example, are ‘silent killers’. They burrow and tunnel their way into the very foundation of your home. Left unchecked, the supporting structure of your house will become more tunnel than wood. The result? You’ll probably need to pony up for a costly repair and set aside a chunk of time to have the damage repaired before, or even after, the structure of your house fails.

To avoid that scenario, you’ll need to stop the problem before it gets a chance to start. The best solution is to have an exterminator come deal with the infestation. Although the cost of pest control may seem expensive in the short run, it’ll pay off to have treatment done in the long run, especially when considering the average treatment lasts about 5 years.

Let’s run a few numbers to make the point:

1. Statistically speaking, about 1 in 3 homeowners encounter a termite infestation in their home.
2. Those homeowners that spent money on repairing termite damage spent an average of $3000, respectively.
3. That leaves us with an expected value, or cost in this case, of roughly $900 (.3 x 3000)
4. Take that cost ($900) and multiply by 5 (5 years) to get the typical homeowner’s expected average cost of termite repair for a 5 year span of $4500

Of course, you may get away with less money spent, or you may not even encounter termites at all, but then again, you may end up with the worst-case-scenario. In reality, when you compare a termite service to the expected cost of $4500, you’ll find that the services are much more affordable.

[Services to control termites in and around your house]

The decision is ultimately up to the homeowner. Those of you that live in Alaska, a state where the threat of termites is close to nothing (it’s too cold), may opt to skip on preventative maintenance altogether. However, Alaska may be the only exception. Termites are active in 49 of 50 states, so take some time to look into the number of infestation cases in your area. The chances are your house is at risk, so be prudent and keep in mind that stopping termites before they start is often the best and cheapest course of action.

[Here is a good place to start evaluating your termite risk]