Wingate

Wingate Environmental Pest Control, LLC Annual Realtors Report 1110 Cosmos Place Columbia, MO 65202 Phone 446-0102 Fax 446-1891 February 2006 wingatepest@socket.net

New Wood Destroying Insect Inspection Report Last year proved to be an overall successful year. As always, it was a pleasure working with many of you this past year, and we look forward to a continued, or new relationship with all of you.

The most significant issue related to the real estate market and our industry is the changes made to the Wood Destroying Insect Report. While the form has been in play for over a year now, there have been many questions raised about what it actually means. Once we discuss the new form, you will clearly understand the importance of having a trained inspector, who fully understands termites and their biology, perform your next Real Estate Inspection. As a Buyer’s agent, your client needs to be sure they are buying a house that is termite free. As a seller’s agent, your client needs to be sure they do not have to pay for a treatment based on the recommendations of an untrained/unqualified inspector.

Treatment could be recommended on most homes –active termites or not – if an inspector does not know what they are doing.

Radon Certified Yes, we do Radon mitigation! We have been certified for over two years now, and after installing over 110 systems in that time, we consider ourselves experienced in providing full installation of mitigation systems. We will soon distribute a brochure describing systems installation procedures - discussing how system installations do differ in important ways, functionally and aesthetically. If you or your clients have any questions regarding Radon Mitigation, or you have been tested with high levels, feel free to contact our office to schedule a free estimate visit. We warranty our systems for 5-years.

The New Inspection Report For the purposes of this inspection, wood destroying insects include: termites, carpenter ants, carpenter bees, and re-infestating wood boring beetles. This inspection does not include mold, mildew or noninsect wood destroying organisms.

The report is indicative of the condition of the subject structure(s) on the date of the

inspection only. There is no warranty, express or implied, related to this report.

Furthermore, the form states that an inspection firm cannot guarantee any wood destroying insect infestation and/or damage disclosed by this inspection represents all of the wood destroying insect infestation and/or damage that may exist as of the date of the inspection.

While we provide a 365-day warranty for termite inspections, if a company does not provide a warranty, you have a report that covers the house that day, and that day only. If termites are found a day later, the company who provided the inspection the day before is not liable.

We Have A 10-year Warranty On Our Termite Treatments

February 2006

When Should a Termite Treatment be Recommended per The New Inspection Report?

The most critical change to this report has to do with treatment recommendation guidelines regarding subterranean termites.

Found on Page 2 of an inspection report - Section 2 of Important Consumer Information Regarding the Scope and Limitations of the Inspection states: FHA and VA require treatment when any active infestation of subterranean termites is found.

If signs of subterranean termites -but no activity- are found in a structure that shows no evidence of having been treated for subterranean termite in the past, then a treatment should be recommended. A treatment may also be recommended for a previously treated structure showing evidence of subterranean termites, with no activity, if there is no documentation of a liquid treatment by a licensed pest control company within the previous five years, unless the structure is presently under warranty or covered by a service agreement with a licensed pest control company.

In short, if any termite activity is found, and proof of treatment within the past five years is not brought forward, an inspector can recommend treatment, active termites or not. In our opinion, it should not be the responsibility of a seller/buyer to have to treat a house for

termites, based on the inability of an inspector to determine if termite activity is active or not.

Also, the proof of treatment must be liquid in nature. If a bait system is removed on a home prior to it selling, and termite activity is found, active or not, a treatment may also be recommended.

As Columbia continues to grow, so do the number of new companies starting up and moving in. Competition is good, but hungry companies sometimes push the edge. If you experience an inspector spending more energy trying to sell something rather than providing a clear and informative report - or if you think you are doing a client a favor with a Free inspection or the $500.00 termite treatment just be cautious. We can assure you, treatment material costs have not gone down, and we still haven’t found that employee willing to work for free. As always, if you or a client run into a situation where you want clarification, be sure to contact us, we will be happy to help in any way possible.

How Many Homes Did Wingate Inspect in 2005 That Required Treatment?

Total Real Estate Inspections 1397 Total Active Termites 147 Percentages: 2005 10% 2004 11% 2003 10%

Does Wingate Do More Than Termite Inspections?

Pest Management Termite inspections Termite Treatments Pre-treatments Ants Spiders Roaches Silverfish Mosquitoes Pill bugs Fleas Mites Centipedes Crickets Wasps/Bees/Hornets

Animal Control Moles Mice Rats Squirrels Opossums Skunks Snakes Groundhogs Bats

Other Services Radon Mitigation Pest Consultation and Education Tree Trimming

Feel free to contact our office with any situation or question you may run into.

We would love to come to your office or meeting to discuss any topic related to our field.

Have a Great Year.