Termites (Sentricon)

[RichRed]

Here's the deal. My wife and I just bought a house, scheduled to close 4/14. The current owners already had a Sentricon termite system installed and they recommended that we continue the service (they've already paid for the installation which was around $1000 so we don't have to worry about that) because they think it's great.

Termites are a pretty big problem in this area because of all the water (ocean, bay, several lakes and inlets) and the house we bought is about 2 1/2 blocks from the bay and was built in 1952. The current owners say they have never had any termite problems but like having the Sentricon system for peace of mind. A termite inspection is scheduled for tomorrow morning, which we expect to come back clean.

The cost of the system to us would be around $345 for the annual contract renewal, plus $85 per quarter for monitoring. The problem is, I've done some research online that seems to indicate this Sentricon might be a big scam, and I don't want to just throw money at this thing without being confident that it's worthwhile.

So this is a long-winded setup to ask the following:

What do you do at your home for termites, if anything?

Are you familiar with the Sentricon system and if so, what are your opinions of it?

[flyer85]

The current owners say they have never had any termite problems but like having the Sentricon system for peace of mind. would you like to buy a bridge?

Once heard said that there are two types of homes ... those that have termites and those that are going to have termites.

You need to have an inspection for current and past termite activity by a company that will stand behind their inspection.

Not familiar with Sentricon but it seems to me the current homeowner may be trying to shift potential liability. You need to be very thorough or you could end up being very sorry.

[RichRed]

would you like to buy a bridge?

Once heard said that there are two types of homes ... those that have termites and those that are going to have termites.

You need to have an inspection for current and past termite activity by a company that will stand behind their inspection.

Not familiar with Sentricon but it seems to me the current homeowner may be trying to shift potential liability. You need to be very thorough or you could end up being very sorry.

The termite inspection is tomorrow. And I should clarify, the current owners have only been there 4 years so we're aware there could've been termite damage before they moved in.

We have a good relationship with the owners, plus we know where to find them if there's a problem ;) (they're moving just a few blocks away), but yes, we're being very careful about this.

Thanks for the input, flyer.

[15fan]

Once heard said that there are two types of homes ... those that have termites and those that are going to have termites.


Yep.

Former condo association president and current homeowner here.

If it lets you sleep easier at night, then it's a small price to pay.

The reality, though, is that it is equivalent to defending your home from an invading army with a couple of squirt guns.

[RedsFan75]

My Rental property had some termite activity, a local company came out, and sprayed, treated, etc... They planted some treated wood away from the house, and it was supposed to draw them to it, and then they take it back to the colony.... They come out once a year, re-treat, respray and inspect... costs me 50.00 for that service.

[nate]

My folks had a house in SoCal that was built in the 60's. One day, Dad found massive termite damage on one of the major load bearing corner timbers. Massive, as in, it was all but eaten. Had to basically rebuild an entire corner of the house.

They tried everything to get rid of the termites and the only thing that ended up working was the Sentricon system.