Termite Inspection in Crown Point: What Home Buyers Should Know

A termite inspection in Crown Point is a separate look at a house for termites and other wood destroying insects. The EPA says most people do not know they have termites until they see a swarm or find damage during construction. So the clues you get as a buyer are the seller’s disclosure, what you can see at a showing, and a report from a licensed pest control company. At our Crown Point shop we read the termite lines on the disclosure with you before you write an offer.

We’re the shop on South Main in Crown Point. Love Thy Neighbor. Call Pam at (219) 801-0432 or Sash at (219) 808-1520.

Saw mud on a basement wall or a soft spot in the trim at a showing? Call Pam at (219) 801-0432 or Sash at (219) 808-1520 before you write. Still shopping? Search homes for sale. You can see homes for sale and sold homes across Indiana and Illinois there.

This is how our shop handles termites for buyers in Crown Point and the Northwest Indiana towns we work, plus what the EPA, HUD, and Indiana Code say. Start the buyer path on Buy. More buying guides are in our buying guides. Short questions go to Ask Realest.

What the seller’s disclosure tells you

Indiana’s Seller’s Residential Real Estate Sales Disclosure, State Form 46234, has two lines that matter here. One asks, “Is there any damage due to wind, flood, termites or rodents?” The other asks, “Have any structures been treated for wood destroying insects?”

A yes on treatment is not a reason to walk away by itself. It is a reason to ask for the paper trail: when it was treated, where, and by which company. A no is not a clean bill of health either. Indiana Code 32-21-5-9 says the disclosure form is not a warranty by the owner or the owner’s agent and may not be used as a substitute for inspections.

Our Indiana seller’s disclosure guide walks the whole form. Real Estate USA covers it too in Indiana seller disclosure form.

Signs the EPA says to look for

The EPA page on termites says the most common termite in most of the United States is the native subterranean termite. It says termites rarely come out of the soil, their mud tubes, or the wood they are eating, which is why they are easy to miss.

Hollow wood. The EPA suggests probing exposed wood for hollow spots with a flathead screwdriver. That is for your own house. At a showing, look and ask, and leave the probing to the inspector.

Swarms and wings. The EPA says ant swarms are sometimes mistaken for termites. Termite wings are roughly equal in length and the antennae are straight. Ants have front wings longer than the hind wings and antennae bent at a ninety degree angle.

Damage adds up. The EPA says termites cause billions of dollars in structural damage every year, and property owners spend over two billion dollars to treat them.

How FHA loans handle termites

HUD Handbook 4000.1 says an FHA appraiser must look at the foundation and the perimeter of the buildings for evidence of wood destroying pests. It also says that look is not at the level of a qualified pest control specialist.

If there is evidence or notice of infestation, including a prior treatment, HUD says the appraiser must mark the evidence of infestation box and make the appraisal subject to an inspection by a qualified pest control specialist. When an inspection report is required, HUD says the loan file must contain form NPMA-33, Wood Destroying Insect Inspection Report, or the state mandated report.

Other loan types have their own rules. Ask your loan officer early what your loan needs. Our pre-approval guide covers that first lender call.

Want us to read the disclosure with you before you write an offer? Call Pam at (219) 801-0432 or Sash at (219) 808-1520. We answer the phone on South Main. Or look around first: Search homes for sale.

Picking a pest control company

Check the license. The EPA says firms offering termite services must be licensed by your state. It says to ask to see the company’s license and, if you have concerns, to call your state pesticide regulatory agency.

Leave treatment to the pros. The EPA says that in most cases termiticide application can only be done properly by a trained pest management professional. It also says a barrier treatment done wrong can contaminate the home and nearby drinking water wells. Buying on a well? Read our well and septic guide.

Read the label. The EPA says the product label tells you how it is used and when you can go back into the house. Ask the company for a copy.

How our shop handles termites on a purchase

1. The disclosure lines first. Before you write, we read the termite and treatment answers on the seller’s disclosure with you.

2. A pest check inside your inspection period. We talk with you about adding a wood destroying insect inspection next to the home inspection, so both reports land before your deadline. Read our home inspections guide and what a home inspection covers.

3. One question for your inspector. Ask whether wood destroying insects are part of the report or a separate visit from a pest control company. Then you know what you are paying for.

4. If a report finds something. We go back to the seller with you, inside the terms of your purchase agreement. The options we talk through are treatment and repair before closing, a credit, a price change, or walking away if your contract allows it.

5. Keep the papers. The report, any treatment receipt, and any service agreement go in your closing folder.

Buying a home by town

Termites do not stop at a town line. Buyers come to us for Crown Point, St. John, Schererville, Dyer, Munster, Highland, Cedar Lake, Lowell, Merrillville, Hobart, and Valparaiso. The lead photo is the Melvin A. Halsted House on East Main Street in Lowell, built in 1850 and now a house museum.

For what living there is like, Real Estate USA keeps guides to homes in Crown Point, St. John, Schererville, Dyer, Munster, Highland, Cedar Lake, Lowell, Merrillville, Hobart, and Valparaiso. It also has The home inspection contingency, Should you test for radon, Well and septic inspections, Your first 30 days after closing, and Moving to Crown Point, Indiana.

The tradeoffs to weigh

One more visit or a faster close. A pest inspection adds a visit and a fee. Finding active termites after closing means the treatment and the repairs are yours.

Old treatment or new trouble. A treated house is not a bad house. Ask what was treated, when, and whether the company left a service agreement.

Prevention after you move in. The EPA’s list is plain. Keep the soil around the foundation dry with good grading, gutters, and downspouts, fill cracks where utilities come through, fix leaks right away, keep vents clear, keep shrubs back from the house, and don’t stack firewood against it.

What we will ask you back

Expect questions about your loan type, how long your inspection period runs, and whether the house is on a well. Testing for radon too? Read our radon testing guide. Writing an offer soon? See our earnest money guide and From offer to closing. Buying for the first time? Grab our First-Time Home Buyer Packet. Ready to talk? Use our contact page or call Pam at (219) 801-0432 or Sash at (219) 808-1520.

Questions about a termite inspection in Crown Point

Do I need a termite inspection when I buy a house in Indiana?

It depends on your loan and on what you choose. HUD Handbook 4000.1 says an FHA appraiser who sees evidence of wood destroying pests, or learns of a prior treatment, must make the appraisal subject to an inspection by a qualified pest control specialist. Ask your lender what your loan needs, and call Pam at (219) 801-0432 or Sash at (219) 808-1520 if you want help reading the disclosure.

What does the Indiana seller’s disclosure say about termites?

Indiana State Form 46234 asks whether there is any damage due to wind, flood, termites or rodents, and whether any structures have been treated for wood destroying insects. Indiana Code 32-21-5-9 says the form is not a warranty and may not be used as a substitute for inspections.

What are the signs of termites in a house?

The EPA says to probe exposed wood for hollow spots and to watch for swarms. Termite wings are roughly equal in length and the antennae are straight. Ants have longer front wings and bent antennae. The EPA says most people only find out when they see a swarm or find damage during construction.

Who can treat termites in Indiana?

The EPA says firms offering termite services must be licensed by your state and suggests asking to see the company’s license. It says that in most cases termiticide application can only be done properly by a trained pest management professional.

What happens if the termite report finds a problem?

That depends on your purchase agreement and its inspection terms. We go back to the seller with you and talk through treatment and repair before closing, a credit, a price change, or walking away if your contract allows it.

How do I start buying a home with Realest?

Call Pam at (219) 801-0432 or Sash at (219) 808-1520, or email saso@realest.com. Visit us at 112 S. Main St., Suite B, Crown Point, IN 46307. Bring the address and any seller’s disclosure you have, and we will read the termite lines with you. Love Thy Neighbor.

Talk to the shop

Realest, 112 S. Main St., Suite B, Crown Point, IN 46307

Call Pam at (219) 801-0432 or Sash at (219) 808-1520 or email saso@realest.com.

Love Thy Neighbor

Photo of the Melvin A. Halsted House by Nyttend on Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Cropped.

Keep reading with Buy, our buying guides, Home inspections guide, Seller’s disclosure, Offer to closing, and the Crown Point hub. For homes for sale and sold homes in Indiana and Illinois, try Search homes for sale.

Sources

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Termites: How to Identify and Control Them (last updated October 8, 2026)
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Single Family Housing Policy Handbook 4000.1 (Update 18, last revised August 12, 2026): Wood Destroying Insects, Organisms, and Termites and NPMA-33
• State of Indiana, Seller’s Residential Real Estate Sales Disclosure, State Form 46234 (R6, 6-14)
• Indiana Code 32-21-5-9, Disclosure form distinguished from warranty

This page is shop process, not legal or pest control advice. Your purchase agreement, your lender, and a licensed pest control company have the final word.