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Termite Inspections Required for VA Home Loans

Veteran Services

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To prevent Veterans from becoming part of the statistic where termites are a common issue, the VA mandates a wood-destroying pest inspection in specific regions and low-rise and high-rise condo units if the VA appraiser identifies a possible pest problem. According to Orkin, termites cause damage to over 600,000 homes annually, and homeowners spend roughly $5 billion each year to combat them In an effort to minimize the impact of termites, the VA has set guidelines for termite pest inspections for homes situated in areas classified as having a high probability of infestation, specifically "Moderate to Heavy" or "Very Heavy." While some states require a pest inspection before closing on a home loan, others leave it up to the discretion of the parties involved, and certain counties in some states mandate inspections. The cost of such an inspection typically falls within the range of $100 to $200, and sellers are often willing to cover this expense following negotiation.

 

VA Loan Termite Inspection Requirements by State

  • Alabama
  • Arkansas
  • Arizona
  • California
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Iowa
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Massachusetts
  • Maryland
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • North Carolina
  • Nebraska
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • Nevada
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Virginia
  • West Virginia
  • Washington, D.C.

 

In other states, you'll need to get a pest inspection only if the independent VA appraiser notes an issue during the appraisal process. Pest inspections are merely discretionary in these states:

  • Alaska
  • Colorado
  • Idaho
  • Maine
  • Michigan (pest inspections are mandatory for all properties in the following counties: Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Hillsdale, Ionia, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb,Mason, Monroe, Muskegon, Oakland, Oceana, Ottawa, St. Clair, St. Joseph, VanBuren, Washtenaw and Wayne.)
  • Minnesota
  • Montana
  • New Hampshire (required only for the counties of Cheshire, Sullivan, Merrimack, Rockingham, Belknap, Hillsborough and Strafford)
  • New York (required for these counties: Bronx, Broome, Columbia, Delaware, Dutchess, Greene, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester)
  • North Dakota
  • Oregon
  • South Dakota
  • Vermont (inspections are mandatory for properties in the following counties: Bennington and Windham.
  • Washington
  • Wisconsin (inspections are mandatory for properties in the following counties: Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Grant, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Kenosha, Lafayette, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Vernon, Walworth, Washington, and Waukesha)
  • Wyoming

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