What does a termite inspection cost in San Diego?
Short answer: less than most people expect, and in a real-estate transaction it is a nominal fee. Bite Away performs termite and wood-destroying organism inspections for escrow at a nominal charge, and any repair work, fumigation, or local treatment that comes out of the report can be billed directly to escrow and paid at closing.
What drives the price
Square footage and structure type
A 1,200 square foot condo takes a fraction of the time a 3,500 square foot two-storey with a detached garage does. Multi-unit buildings and commercial structures are quoted separately.
Accessibility
Attics and crawlspaces that are packed with storage, sealed, or unusually tight take longer to inspect and sometimes need a return visit.
Outbuildings and additions
Detached garages, casitas, decks, patio covers, and fences add area to the inspection and to the report.
Escrow versus homeowner inspection
Escrow and real-estate inspections are done for a nominal fee. A general homeowner inspection is quoted on the phone.
We will not guess at a number on a web page and then change it at the door. Give us the address and a rough square footage and you will have an exact price before you book.
Billing the work to escrow
This is the part that saves people the most money and stress. When an inspection is tied to a sale, Bite Away can bill the corrective work to escrow rather than asking the buyer or seller to pay up front. That covers:
- Wood repair and replacement of termite or dry-rot damaged material
- Whole-structure fumigation
- Local and spot treatments for isolated drywood termite activity
- Subterranean termite soil treatments
The report itemises each recommendation with its own price, so the parties can negotiate line by line and the demand goes into escrow cleanly.
Cost questions we hear most
- How much does a termite inspection cost in San Diego?
- It depends on the size and type of the structure and how much of it is accessible. Escrow and real-estate inspections are done for a nominal fee, and we quote homeowner inspections over the phone in a couple of minutes. Call 888-321-BITE with the address and we will give you the number before we come out.
- Is the inspection fee credited toward treatment?
- Ask us when you book. In most escrow situations the inspection fee is small to begin with, and the corrective work is what gets billed to escrow at closing.
- Who pays for the termite inspection in a home sale?
- In San Diego it is negotiated between buyer and seller and written into the contract. Because we can bill the inspection and the corrective work to escrow, neither side has to pay out of pocket before closing.
- How much does termite treatment cost?
- Local treatments to a few isolated areas cost far less than whole-structure fumigation, and wood repair is priced by the amount of damaged material that has to be replaced. Your report lists each recommended item with its own price, so you can see exactly what drives the total.
Related reading: termite inspection in San Diego and what happens during a termite inspection.