If this is your first house, the WDI inspection is probably a line on a checklist your lender handed you and nobody has explained. Here is the whole thing, plainly.
What it is
A wood-destroying insect inspection is a licensed inspector walking the house looking for evidence of termites, carpenter ants, carpenter bees and wood-boring beetles — then recording what they found on a standard federal form called the NPMA-33.
You’ll hear it called a termite inspection, a termite letter, a WDI report or a WDO report. Same thing.
Do you actually need one?
If you’re financing with a VA or FHA loan, almost certainly yes — those programs commonly require it. Conventional lenders ask for one often enough that most Miami Valley transactions include it. Your lender or agent will tell you definitively.
Even when nobody requires it, $99 against a house purchase is small insurance. Termite damage is one of the very few major structural problems that homeowners insurance will not pay to fix, so if you inherit it, you own it. (And while you’re lining up that homeowners policy for closing: our neighbors at Ingram Insurance Group publish a first-time buyer’s insurance checklist worth ten minutes before you bind coverage.)
Who pays for it?
Negotiable, and it varies by deal. In this market it lands either way, and on VA loans the fee frequently sits with the seller. Whoever pays, make sure it happens inside your inspection contingency window — after that, you’ve lost your leverage to do anything about the findings.
What “clear” does and doesn’t mean
This is the part worth reading twice.
A clear report means the inspector found no visible evidence of wood-destroying insects in the areas they could access. It is not a guarantee that the house has never had termites, and it is not a warranty against getting them later.
WDI inspections are visual. We do not open walls, pull up flooring, or move the seller’s stored belongings. A finished basement, a crawl space full of boxes, or heavy landscaping against the foundation all reduce what anyone can see — and the report will note where visibility was limited. Read those notes. They are the most useful part of the document.
What happens if it finds something
Take a breath. Subterranean termites are common in Ohio and they are treatable. A finding is normally a price negotiation, not a dead deal.
What usually happens: the finding goes on the form, we provide a written treatment quote the same day, and the buyer and seller negotiate who pays for the work — often with treatment completed before closing because the lender wants it done. If we do the treatment, your $99 inspection fee comes off the price.
The thing to ask about is not the insects, it’s the damage. Active termites are a treatment problem. Structural damage to a sill plate or floor joist is a repair problem, and that’s the one to get priced before you close.
Questions worth asking before you close
- Was there evidence of previous treatment? If so, by whom, when, and is there a transferable warranty?
- Which areas couldn’t be inspected, and why?
- Were there conducive conditions — wood-to-ground contact, poor drainage, a wet crawl space? Those are cheap to fix now and expensive to ignore.
- If treatment is being done before closing, will you receive the completion documentation?
What it costs
$99, credited in full toward treatment if the report turns something up and you have us do the work. Report as a PDF the same day we inspect, usually within one business day of booking.
You may be quoted less by a home inspector adding it to a general home inspection, and that can be a perfectly good option. The difference is that we’re a licensed termite company — if something is found, the person explaining your options is the person who treats it for a living.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the inspection take?
Typically 30 to 60 minutes for an average home, longer for a large house or a difficult crawl space.
Do I need to be there?
No, though you’re welcome to be, and buyers who come along usually get more out of it than they expect. We’ll walk you around the foundation and show you what we’re looking at.
How long is the report good for?
Most lenders want one dated within 30 to 90 days of closing. If your closing slips, check before assuming the old report still counts.
The seller already has a report. Can I use it?
Often yes, if it’s recent and your lender accepts it. Some buyers prefer their own — it’s your call, and it’s $99.
Is a termite inspection the same as a home inspection?
No. A home inspection covers the structure and systems broadly. A WDI inspection is specifically about wood-destroying insects and is recorded on a different form. You generally want both.
See also: all WDI inspections · what termite activity looks like · termite treatment
Greater Dayton Pest & Rodent · 733 Salem Ave, Dayton OH 45406 · (937) 569-3330 · ODA Pesticide Business License #115079
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a termite inspection when buying a house in Ohio?
If your loan is FHA, VA, or USDA, a wood-destroying-insect (WDI) report is typically required; conventional lenders often want one in termite-prone areas — which southwest Ohio is. Even when optional, skipping it to save a couple hundred dollars against a five-figure repair risk is bad math.
What is an NPMA-33 form?
The standardized national WDI report lenders accept: it documents visible evidence of termites and other wood-destroying insects, previous treatment, damage, and conducive conditions. Ohio requires a specific inspection license (Category 12) to issue it — ask any inspector to confirm theirs.
When in the buying process should the inspection happen?
During your inspection contingency window, alongside the general home inspection — early enough that findings can drive negotiation, late enough that you are inspecting the house you are actually buying. 48-hour turnarounds are normal in transaction season.
What if the report finds termite evidence?
It becomes a negotiation instrument: active infestations typically obligate the seller to treat (or credit), old damage prices repairs into the offer, and conducive conditions write your year-one to-do list. Evidence found before closing is leverage; found after, it is your bill.
Does a clean WDI report guarantee no termites?
No — it certifies no visible evidence in accessible areas on inspection day. Finished basements and slab construction hide plenty. That honest limit is why buyers of older homes often pair the report with a monitoring install once they own the place.
Who pays for the termite inspection — buyer or seller?
Regionally negotiable: VA loans historically push the WDI cost off the buyer, otherwise it commonly rides with the buyer’s inspection costs. It is a line item worth writing into the offer either way.
My general home inspector mentioned possible termite damage. Now what?
Get the licensed WDI inspection — general inspectors flag, they cannot certify. Distinguishing old inactive damage from live infestation (the repair-vs-treat-vs-both decision) is exactly what the specialized report exists to settle.
What are red flags in older Dayton-area homes specifically?
Stone and block foundations with mortar-gap highways, grade lines buried against wood siding, additions bridging soil to structure, finished basements concealing sill plates, and decades-old treatment tags in the rafters with no paperwork — each one a question your inspection should answer.
Should the seller’s old termite warranty transfer to me?
Ask — bait-system contracts and some treatment warranties transfer for a fee and are genuinely worth having. Get the provider, contract status, and transfer terms in writing before closing; an active monitoring contract is a real asset.
Do you treat houses flagged during a purchase?
Yes — treatment under our 10B license is a core service, with transaction-speed scheduling and pricing computed openly (see the termite cost page). For the NPMA-33 report itself, ask when you call about current arrangements — and we handle whatever the report turns up.
When you’re ready to order the inspection — or your agent is — the booking page takes every detail in one pass: book a WDI inspection, $99 flat, pay now or at closing.
Buying inside the city limits? Book a termite inspections in Dayton, Ohio — the same $99 NPMA-33 inspection, scheduled next business day for realtors.