Subterranean termites
The #1 cause of wood damage in the US South. Mud-tube trails up foundations, hollowed sill plates, internal joist colonies. Florida + Gulf Coast staple.
$8k–$60k typical repair
Termite-damaged property · cash buyer · 50 states
Sell a house with termite damage — colony and all.
Subterranean, drywood, Formosan, powderpost beetles. Active colony, prior infestation, structural damage. No WDO clearance, no treatment first, no inspection contingency. Firm offer in 24 hours.
Active WDO ok·No tent required first·A+ BBB · since 2014
Sell Your House As-Is.
Get a Cash Offer From a Real Buyer — Not an Algorithm.
We buy houses nationwide. No repairs. No realtors. No fees. A real person calls back within 7 minutes.
Live · 7-min callback 4.8 · Verified Google reviews
Your address is private. We never share or sell your data.
Why termites kill financed sales
The lender always wins the disagreement.
FHA, VA, USDA, and most conventional loans require a WDO (Wood-Destroying Organism) inspection report with NO active findings before funding. Even a closed-out colony with documented treatment can flag the appraisal in heavy-termite states like Florida. Once the WDO comes back ugly, the financed deal is dead — buyer walks, the listing relisted, your timeline blown up.
Cash investors aren't subject to WDO clearance requirements. We buy as principal, with our own funds, and we treat + repair after closing as part of the rehab cycle. We've been doing this in heavy-termite markets — Florida, the Carolinas, the Gulf — since 2014.
Common pest + wood-damage types
Each one, underwritable.
Drywood termites
Common in Florida + Hawaii + Southwest. Live in dry wood without soil contact — hardest to detect, often only found at sale. Tent-fumigation usually required.
$3k–$12k fumigation + $10k–$80k structural
Powderpost beetles + wood rot
Frass piles (fine sawdust), pinhole exit holes, weakened floorboards. Often confused with termite damage; same buyer-financing impact.
$5k–$25k structural
Structural compromise
Sagging floors, doors out of square, soft framing, collapsed sill plates, joist replacement. We bring our own framer — no general contractor estimate required.
$15k–$100k+ rebuild
Whatever stage you're at
We've closed on each scenario.
WDO (Wood-Destroying Organism) report came back active
An active WDO finding kills financed offers immediately — FHA + VA require treatment + repair before funding. We don't need clean WDO. We close with the colony in the house if that's where we are.
Prior treatment, but damage not repaired
Common: termites were treated but structural repairs weren't done because they ran $40k+. The treatment is fine, the damage is ours to underwrite. We close as-is.
Buyer walked after inspection contingency
We see this monthly — financed buyer's inspector finds termite damage, lender pulls out, you're back at square one. Cash close in 14 days; we don't have an inspection contingency.
Termite-damage discovered during your own sale prep
You hired a Realtor, they ordered an inspection (smart), and the WDO came back ugly. Pivot to us. We can usually have a number to you within 24 hours of receiving the inspection report.
Listing vs cash sale
Termite-damage edition.
| What you compare | Listing with an agent | Cash sale (BiggerEquity) |
|---|---|---|
| WDO clearance required | Yes — FHA, VA, USDA, and most conventional lenders mandate | No — active colony ok |
| Repairs to close | $5k–$80k structural + $3k–$12k treatment | $0 — we close as-is |
| Treatment timing | Must complete before listing or under buyer contingency | We schedule it post-closing with our pest contractor |
| Time on market | 120–365+ days after disclosed termite history | 7–30 days typical |
| Disclosure requirement | Mandatory — multi-state disclosure laws | We already know — covered in our as-is contract |
A word from us
Termites don't mean your house is worthless.
They mean the financed-buyer market is closed to you, which is frustrating, and the disclosure exposure is real. The land is still worth what it's worth, the rebuildable structure is still worth what it's worth, and the cash market — us — still buys. The number won't be retail, but the close is fast and clean.
Meet the teamReal sellers, real stories
The homeowners who've passed us the keys.
“Eden was no ordinary man trying to make a living, he is someone who sees the bigger picture, feels the pain of his clients, and makes decisions based on the greater good. Because of Eden we sold our home in a week, and was able to purchase another in a short period of time.”
Jose R. Alvarez
Aging parents · 30-year home · sold in 1 week · Florida
“Eden was no ordinary man trying to make a living, he is someone who sees the bigger picture, feels the pain of his clients, and makes decisions based on the greater good. Because of Eden we sold our home in a week, and was able to purchase another in a short period of time.”
Jose R. Alvarez
Aging parents · 30-year home · sold in 1 week · Florida
Termite-specific questions
Eight things sellers always ask.
How much do termites affect home value?
Active termite damage typically drops disclosed market value 10–25%, plus the repair cost itself ($8k–$80k). The bigger impact is buyer-pool — most lenders won't fund on active WDO, so the financed-buyer market closes and you're left selling to cash investors only. We're one of them, and we underwrite termite damage weekly.
Do you need a WDO report before making an offer?
No. We'd love to see one if you already have it (speeds underwriting), but we don't require it. We bring our own framer for a structural look-see — usually within 48 hours. If you've never had an inspection, that's fine; we assume worst-case damage in our underwriting.
Can I sell during active termite treatment?
Yes. Treatment doesn't stop a closing. We can close before, during, or after — your call. If you've already paid for tent fumigation, that money stays with you (it doesn't transfer to us at closing).
What about Florida termite-specific concerns?
Florida + the Gulf Coast are our home markets for termite-damaged acquisitions. The Florida WDO disclosure landscape (the state's standard form, the licensed inspector requirement) is something Eden and the team have navigated since 2014. Drywood termites, Formosan termites, subterranean — we've closed on each.
Is termite damage worse than mold damage for selling?
About equivalent — both kill financed-buyer offers and both require disclosure. Active termite is slightly worse for financing (FHA explicitly excludes), but mold is harder to remediate fully. Either way, cash investors are usually the only viable buyer pool, and we buy both.
Will you order your own pest inspection after closing?
Yes — that's a standard part of our renovation flow. Treatment first (tent if drywood, soil injection if subterranean), then structural repairs, then resale. None of that is your problem after closing.
What if I have a termite bond on the house?
Termite bonds (annual renewable contracts with companies like Terminix or Orkin) sometimes transfer to a new buyer — depends on the bond's terms. We'll check during title and either take the bond over (rare) or you cancel it before closing (common).
Can I avoid the WDO disclosure if I sell to you?
We sign a written 'AS-IS' contract that acknowledges any wood-destroying organism history is part of the property condition as we're buying it. You've disclosed it to us; that satisfies the legal disclosure obligation for the sale to us. Future buyers from us are our problem, not yours.
Other distressed-property guides
Selling a house with other damage?
Ready when you are
See what your house is worth in cash.
It takes 90 seconds. No credit check, no agent visit, no commitment. You'll have a real number in your inbox tomorrow.
Free, no-obligation written offer
Close in as few as 7 days
We pay all closing costs
Walk away anytime
Sell Your House As-Is.
Get a Cash Offer From a Real Buyer — Not an Algorithm.
We buy houses nationwide. No repairs. No realtors. No fees. A real person calls back within 7 minutes.
Live · 7-min callback 4.8 · Verified Google reviews
Your address is private. We never share or sell your data.