'Termite' inspection is a misnomer

Q: I'm in the middle of house hunting. Some of the houses I look at have a binder with a termite report inside. When I read them, they sometimes mention termites or beetles, but a lot of times they talk about fungus and even the foundation. It's kind of strange for the termite inspector to look at the foundation, isn't it?

A: The term "termite report" or "pest report" is a misnomer. In many states the termite report's formal title is the Wood Destroying Organism Report -- a mouthful, which is why people casually call it a termite report. As you have discovered, these inspections are not limited in scope to termites or even pests, but actually search for any organism or condition with the potential to destroy wood members in a home.

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