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Ancillary Connecticut Home Inspection Services
Wood Destroying Insect Inspections
Using a licensed pest control company instead of a home inspector to complete your wood destroying insect (e.g. termites and carpenter ants) inspection has several advantages:
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Some banks and loan programs (e.g. CHFA, VA, and USDA loans) require that a licensed pest control company complete the wood destroying insect inspection on a form separate from the home inspection report. Using a pest control company helps keep you compliant with loan requirements.
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A pest control company is better equipped to determine if any past treatments were completed correctly.
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If there is damage from wood destroying insects or current wood destroying insect activity, the pest control company can make treatment recommendations and provide an estimate for treatment. Of course, we will discuss any damage in our report. This helps keep your transaction moving along in a timelier manner.
For your convenience we can arrange for a pest control company to attend your inspection. Their fee is paid directly to them so that you can be assured of getting their best possible price.
Septic System Inspections
We believe that home inspectors should not be completing septic inspections. Frankly, they are not equipped for it. A proper septic inspection requires a septic pumping truck and other specialized equipment (e.g a sewer camera). With septic system repairs typically quoted in the thousands of dollars and complete septic system replacement costs averaging $10,000 to $25,000 and sometimes more, we recommend that the septic system inspection should be completed by a licensed, qualified septic contractor or septic engineer.
Lead Paint Testing
If you own or are purchasing a home constructed prior to 1978 lead paint may be present. Lead-based paint can present a health hazard if it is chipping, flaking, crushed, or sanded into dust. Low levels of exposure to lead can cause health effects such as learning disabilities and behavioral problems in children. Of the three types of predominant lead paint testing methods we only endorse one method, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), in the diagnosis of whether lead paint is present inside or outside the home. Other methods such as swab testing or core sampling used by some home inspectors may have their place in testing methodologies, but only X-ray fluorescence (XRF) can test broad areas and provide accurate testing. Since the cost of this equipment ($18,000 to $50,000) is too prohibitive to be profitable for only the occasional testing, a dedicated environmental testing lab or specialist should provide this service.