Termite Inspection in Asheville, NC

What a WDIR-100 report is

The WDIR-100 is the North Carolina wood destroying insect report. It is the form used in real estate transactions to record the findings of a termite inspection: whether there is visible evidence of subterranean termites or other wood destroying insects, whether there is visible damage, and whether there has been previous treatment. The report is based on a visual inspection of the accessible areas of the structure — the foundation, the crawl space, the garage, the interior rooms where wood is exposed — and it is signed and dated by the inspector.

Many home sales need one, and some loans need one as a condition of the loan. FHA and VA loans often require a termite inspection, and the WDIR-100 is the report that satisfies it. The report is sometimes called a termite letter, a termite certificate or a clearance letter — the form is the same, and the inspection behind it is the same.

How the inspection runs

The inspector walks the structure with a probe and a flashlight, tapping wood and listening for the hollow sound, looking for mud tubes on the foundation and in the crawl space, and checking moisture where wood is suspect. Photographs are taken of anything found, and moisture readings are recorded where wood looks suspect. The visit usually takes less than an hour for a typical Asheville home, and the report is written from the findings on the day.

What the report does not do is promise what happens next. It records what was visible on the day of the inspection. A clean report means no evidence was found in the accessible areas on that day — not that termites can never appear. That is why the annual inspection is recommended for owners as well as buyers: the record builds up year by year, and the change between years is what matters.

For buyers

If you are buying in Asheville, arrange the inspection early in the process, so there is time to act on the findings before closing. The inspector will tell you what was found, what it means, and what the next step is — treatment, monitoring, or a further look by a specialist where the damage needs one. Bring the closing date and the property address when you call, so the report can be scheduled in time.

Asheville's housing adds to the case for an early inspection: about 37% of homes in the metro were built before 1980, and older framing, crawl spaces and settled foundations are the places termites use. A home that has had treatment is inspected the same way — the report records the previous treatment and whether there is current activity.

For sellers and agents

If you are selling, an inspection before listing gives you the report in hand when the buyer's inspector arrives, and it gives you time to deal with anything found. Agents who work the Asheville market arrange these inspections as a matter of routine, and the providers who do them know the local forms, the local lenders' requirements and the local closing timelines.

The problem and the solution