Not buying, not selling — you just want to know. There are two ways to do that, and one of them is free.
Which one do you want?
| Free estimate visit | Written inspection report | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | No charge | $150 |
| What you get | We look, and we tell you what we found and what it would cost to treat | A full written report documenting findings, conducive conditions and recommendations |
| Good for | “I saw something and I want to know if it’s a problem” | Records, refinancing, insurance, a landlord file, or your own peace of mind in writing |
Most homeowners want the free visit. If you only need to know whether you have termites and what it costs to deal with them, that’s the one — call us and we’ll come look. If you don’t need treatment, we’ll tell you that, and you’ll owe us nothing.
When the written report is worth $150
- Refinancing. Some lenders ask for one.
- You own rentals. A dated written inspection in the property file is worth having if a tenant ever raises a habitability question.
- You’re thinking about selling next year. Finding it now means fixing it on your schedule instead of during a 10-day contingency window. If you’re closer to listing, see pre-listing inspections.
- You want the conducive conditions documented — the drainage, grading and wood-contact issues that invite termites — so you can work through them.
Note that this is a homeowner’s report. If your inspection is for a real estate transaction, you need the NPMA-33 version instead — that’s $99 and documented differently, because a lender is relying on it.
How often should a house be inspected?
Once a year is the usual advice, and it’s reasonable in this region — subterranean termites are established across the Miami Valley and a colony can work for years before anything is visible from inside.
If you’re on an ongoing termite plan with us, monitoring is already included and you don’t need to buy an inspection at all. That’s the point of the plan.
What we look at
Foundation walls inside and out, sill plates and rim joists, the crawl space if there is one, the basement, the attached garage, visible framing, and the grade and drainage around the house. We’re looking for mud tubes, damaged wood, swarmers and discarded wings, and the moisture conditions that make a house attractive in the first place.
We can only report what we can see. We don’t open walls or pull up flooring, and a finished basement or a full crawl space limits what any inspector can assess — the written report says so where that applies.
If we find something
You’ll get a straight explanation of what it is, whether it’s active, and what treatment would cost — in writing, before you decide anything. Our termite pricing is published, so there’s no mystery about what comes next.
If you bought the $150 written report and go ahead with treatment, the fee comes off the treatment price.
Frequently asked questions
Is the inspection really free?
The estimate visit is, yes. We come out, look, and tell you what we found. The $150 buys the formal written report, which is a different deliverable.
Will you try to sell me something I don’t need?
No, and it would be a bad business decision for a two-person local company that depends on referrals. If you don’t need treatment, you’ll be told so.
Does homeowners insurance cover termite damage?
Almost never — insurers treat it as a maintenance issue rather than a sudden loss. That’s exactly why the annual look is worth the trouble. Our neighbors at Ingram Insurance Group wrote the full policy-clause breakdown — including the one narrow collapse exception worth knowing about.
Do I need to be home?
Yes, for a homeowner inspection — we’ll need access to the basement or crawl space, and it’s more useful when we can show you what we’re seeing.
How long does it take?
Usually 30 to 60 minutes.
See also: signs of termites · termite treatment · all WDI inspections
Greater Dayton Pest & Rodent · 733 Salem Ave, Dayton OH 45406 · (937) 569-3330 · ODA Pesticide Business License #115079
Frequently asked questions
Why would I need a termite inspection if I’m not selling?
Because colonies work invisibly for years and homeowners discover them by accident — a remodel, a swarm, a screwdriver through a sill plate. The free annual check converts accident-discovery into schedule-discovery, which is the difference between treatment and reconstruction.
How often should homeowners get inspected?
Annually — spring is classic (swarm evidence is freshest), and the check doubles as a conducive-conditions audit. Protection Plan customers effectively get this continuously; standalone annual checks are free regardless.
What does the inspection cost for homeowners?
Nothing — suspicion inspections and annual preventive checks are free. Our economics work because early detection feeds the monitoring product; your economics work because a free half-hour beats a structural repair.
What should I do between inspections?
Watch the big four: keep mulch pulled back off the foundation line, break wood-to-soil contact (deck posts, stacked lumber, grade-buried siding), fix moisture against the slab, and glance at foundation walls for mud tubes each season. Ten minutes a quarter, genuine risk reduction.
I found what might be termite evidence. How fast should I act?
Book the free inspection this week, but skip the panic — termites damage over seasons, not days. What the timeline punishes is the year of not-looking, never the week of scheduling.
Does a treated house still need inspections?
Yes — liquid barriers degrade invisibly over 5–10 years and old treatments transfer poorly documented. Bait-system homes get continuous monitoring instead; that difference is much of why bait leads our catalog.
Do renovations affect termite risk?
Meaningfully — additions bridge soil to structure, new patios bury grade lines, and disturbed soil rewrites forager paths. Any project touching the foundation line earns a fresh look, ideally before the concrete pours.
Are new houses safe from termites?
Safer, not safe — modern grading and treated lumber help, but southwest Ohio soil pressure is permanent and construction debris buried in backfill is classic first-colony food. New-build owners get the same free annual check; it just tends to be shorter.
What happens if my inspection finds activity?
Boundary mapping, photographed evidence, and openly-priced options — bait install for most cases, liquid where warranted, conducive fixes always. No pressure tactics; the free inspection stays free whether or not you book treatment.
How do I schedule my annual check?
(937) 569-3330 or the contact page — pick a season and we will put you on the calendar for the same slot every year, which is exactly how inspection is supposed to work: boring, brief, and on schedule.