REAL ESTATE

Are you a real estate agent or broker operating in the Los Angeles area and in need of a Wood-Destroying Organism (WDO) Report?

My Termite Company in Los Angeles is here to assist real estate clients and ensure they receive excellent care and service.

Our skilled termite team is well-trained and efficient, dedicated to helping you acquire the necessary WDO report for your listing.

Serving not only Los Angeles but also neighboring cities such as Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena, Hollywood, and more, we are licensed by the Structural Pest Control Board.

real estate agents shaking hands after receiving termite inspection

Termites can hold escrow from closing

Whether representing sellers or buyers, you need to get a termite inspection as soon as possible.

Make sure to have a termite inspection done before getting any offers.

Buyers nowadays will ask for a termite report before making any offer.

Be prepared to have termite treatment and/or repairs in your budget. You don’t want any surprises that will keep your escrow from closing.

Always ask for a termite report when representing your clients.

Keep in mind, sellers will try to avoid a termite inspection since they have to spend money in treatments or repairs.

Protect your reputation by keeping your client from a buying a termite infested home.

Remember, termites live in the soil, rooftops and in between walls, practically unseen unless by a trained technician.

WDO inspection reports

Wood-destroying organism (WDO) reports are provided for every property in escrow.

This inspection report includes more than just termite evidence, it also includes any wood destroying pest or any conditions that can lead to a future infestation.

Sometimes a WDO is required by VA (Veteran Administration) loans or FHA (Federal Home Administration.)

What we look for during our termite inspection

Section 1 items

Termite evidence such as termite activity or termite wood damage.

This is the poop of the termites. It may be confused for sand or sawdust, but once cleaned up, it will come back again.

A brighter color pellet means it is recent activity. A darker color, dark brown, means it is old activity.

If no treatment has been performed, the darker color pellets also mean the termites have moved on from that location and further in the structure, causing greater damage.

These tubes are made by subterranean termites. These termites live in the soil and create tubes, a mixture of dirt and their saliva, to travel from the wood to their home.

These tubes create protection for the colony from predators and sunlight.

Even though much of the activity is found in the subarea, there has been cases where the evidence has been found in attics. Those cases have a heavy infestation of subterranean termites.

An immediate treatment is recommended, as well as hiring a contractor to assess the full extent of the damage of the structure.

At a glance, much of the damage is unseen. Since termites are sensitive to the sun, they tend to work in the middle of the wood, keeping the exterior intact.

Another reason, many homeowners do not crawl underneath the home or in the attic with the intent to look for damage, which causes termite damage to be overseen.

But when a trained inspector looks for damage, they poke at all major wood components to wood damage. This damage can be from termites or dry rot.

Either case, it is important to repair wood damage to keep the structure intact and avoid future costlier repairs.

Alates, or swarmers, are the potential king or queen of a new colony. These are the termites with wings, that fly out to form a new colony.

Once they find a place they want to settle, along with a mate, they shed their wings and start the process of a new colony.

Dry-rot (brown rot) is wood destroying fungus that can compromise the integrity of the wood.

This can develop when there is moisture with low ventilation.

Dry-rot should be taken seriously since it can spread quickly, either further along the wood member or to neighboring wood members.

Overtime, the wood is compromised and can result in costly repairs.

Wet-rot (soft rot) is a wood destroying fungus that can also compromise the integrity of the wood.

This fungus develops when there are high amounts of moisture such as plumbing leaks or room leaks.

The fungus is quite noticeable in wood members. It may take some time to cause some real damage, but it is still important to repair the damaged wood and the cause of the leak as well as treating the fungus to prevent it from spreading.

Fungus goes hand and hand with wet-rot.

In almost all cases, if there is wet-rot there is also fungus.

To keep it from spreading, scraping off the fungus and discarding is necessary as well as treating the area.

Fungus can be found in low ventilated areas, mainly in subareas and attics, but also underneath the sink cabinets.

Any paper, wood, cardboard rakeable size or larger underneath the structure that is currently infested by termites yet is considered cellulous debris.

This could be debris that was left behind when any repairs were done.

This item is considered section 1 when there is a current infestation of termites in them.

The way to correct this item is by removing all debris from under the house and topically treat the area debris that was left behind when any repairs were done.

Section 2 items

Environmental conditions that can lead to future termite infestation.

When there is soil underneath the property, and the structure is in direct contact with the ground, this is called Earth-to-Wood contact.

This creates easy access for subterranean termites. Whether it be wood sidings, door frames, stair case, etc., they should be 6 in. above ground level, or they are vulnerable to subterraneans.

Since the structure is touching the soil, the subterraneans do not need to create mud tubes for protection, rather they can directly travel from the wood and back to the colony quickly and easily.

The way to correct this is by digging soil, or mulch, back from the foundation, adding concrete bases, etc.

Annual inspections are recommended if this condition can’t be corrected.

Any paper, wood, cardboard rakeable size or larger underneath the structure that is not infested by termites yet is considered cellulous debris.

This could be debris that was left behind when any repairs were done.

This item is considered section 2 when there is not an current infestation of termites in them, but definitely can lead to one in the future.

The way to correct this item is by removing all debris from under the house.

All plumbing/shower/roof leaks are considered section 2 in a termite report since it is not considered wood destroying organisms.

It is important to hire a properly trained inspectors who should check for shower leaks by turning on the shower for 10 min and checking the subarea – many companies have skipped this step.

In addition, inspectors should inspect the attic for leaks and water steins in the ceilings.

The recommendation to fix these items will be to hire a licensed contractor to repair such leaks.

Pest control in a real estate transaction

Pests, such as cockroaches, rodents, spiders, ants, bees, any pest other than wood destroying insects are of no concern in a real estate transaction, in California at least.

But there may be cases of heavy infestation. If so, who pays?

Since other pests are not enforced to be treated in an escrow transaction, the seller can pay in order to be in good standing, but it is not necessary for them to do so.

If the buyer has a sincere interest in the property, then they can pay for the treatment. In some cases, real estate agents may pay for the pest treatment to keep their clients happy.

In some cases, real estate agents may pay for the pest treatment to keep their clients happy.

At My Termite Company, we assist our real estate clients by providing them with a discounted price on pest control, which they can then offer as a gift to their clients.

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Additional services for real estate agents

Termite classes

Would a termite class benefit your real estate agents and brokers?

Our class will help all agents better prepare for buying or selling a home, providing them with knowledge that they can pass on to their clients, thereby appearing well-informed about the industry.

  • Why it is important for an agent to get a termite inspection
  • What termite and termite damage looks like (pictures and videos)
  • Section 2 items that some loans require
  • FAQ
termite class hosted by My Termite Company
termite class hosted by My Termite Company
termite class hosted by My Termite Company
termite class hosted by My Termite Company

This is a FREE 15 – 20 min PowerPoint presentation. We can visit your office any day and time during the week, providing a digital flyer to inform the office about the class. In addition, we provide free marketing materials for agents if they hire us for their listing, as well as sponsorships for the office!

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Referral program

We know you’ve worked hard for your reputation and business, so we would like to reward you for it!

My Termite Company offers a referral program for Real Estate agents to earn additional income at no additional work. Refer us to your clients and earn fast!

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Vendors

My Termite Company proudly services these real estate associations and their members.

logo California Association of Realtors
logo Glendale Association of Realtors

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Real estate termite inspection near you

My Termite Company provides real estate agents commercial termite services within a 30-mile radius of our Northeast Los Angeles office. Check if we service your property’s location by entering the zip code of your MLS listing that requires a termite inspection. 

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    The best company to hire for sure! They gave me an appointment within a week which was amazing, they worked with my busy schedule and was able to come out on a Sunday and were on time! They gave me the best pricing out of all the companies I called, the work was done in a great manor, I didn’t have to hover to keep an eye on anything, they made me trust their judgement and work. Wendy is just so sweet and easily reachable as well as Alissa who was so helpful every time I called and answered all my questions when I called the office. So I will be recommending their business to all my friends and business associates! Thank you so much!

    Robyn G.

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    Highly recommend this company. They are a local neighborhood company that does amazing work and the prices are better than any other competitor I reached out to. I have used other companies in the past and this was by far the smoothest tenting process I’ve had. Brandon & Wendy were wonderful the entire process and always kept me up to speed on where we were in the process. The installation of the tent was seamless and the team that put up the tent were very professional and courteous from start to finish. I would definitely use them again!

    Jaqueline L.

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    Wendy and her team at My Termite Company are awesome! We have treated two properties using their services. They always respond fast. They kept me updated about every stage of the fumigation and repairs process. They gave me a fair price and took into account all changes that happened during the process. We are very happy with their work and customer service!

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