pest-control

Termite Inspections When Buying a Home in Virginia (WDI Reports)

VA loans drive most termite inspections in Virginia. What the NPMA-33 WDI report covers, who pays, the typical $75 to $175 cost, and how to handle findings.

Termite Inspections When Buying a Home in Virginia (WDI Reports)

Hampton Roads holds one of the largest concentrations of military households in the country, and that shapes how homes get bought there. VA financing is everywhere in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Chesapeake, and VA loans carry a requirement many first-time users have never heard of: a wood-destroying insect inspection before closing.

That inspection produces a WDI report, completed on a standardized document called the NPMA-33. The form tells the lender whether a licensed inspector found evidence of termites or other wood-destroying insects in the home you are about to finance.

Buyers using other loan types have more flexibility, but the report matters across the whole state. Virginia's humid summers, wooded lots, and older neighborhoods in Richmond and Roanoke give subterranean termites plenty to work with, and $100 spent during your contract period beats finding damage after you own the walls.

Your Loan Type Decides Whether You Need One

VA loans set the clearest rule. For purchases in Virginia, the VA generally requires a WDI inspection with a clear or treated result before the loan can close, and the lender will not fund without the form in the file. There is no waiving it the way buyers sometimes waive a home inspection.

FHA loans take a softer position. An inspection is required only when the appraiser notes evidence of infestation, when the purchase contract calls for one, or when it is customary in the market. In practice, plenty of FHA deals in Richmond close without a WDI report.

Conventional buyers choose for themselves. No rule forces the inspection, and in competitive bidding some buyers skip it to slim down their offer. Skipping is a bigger gamble on homes with crawl spaces, wood siding near grade, or any history of treatment.

Cash buyers have total freedom and should still think twice. The inspection costs less than one month of homeowners insurance and it examines parts of the house most general inspectors only glance at.

The NPMA-33 Form and What It Reports

The NPMA-33 is a national form, and every licensed pest control company doing WDI work in Virginia uses it. It runs two pages and reduces the whole inspection to a handful of findings your lender can read in under a minute.

Section by section, the inspector reports on four things:

• Visible evidence of wood-destroying insects, with the species identified
• Live insects observed at the time of inspection
• Signs of a previous infestation with no current activity
• Visible damage to the structure, whether old or new

The form also records whether the home shows evidence of previous treatment, such as drill holes in the slab or foundation. Previous treatment is common in older Norfolk and Portsmouth neighborhoods and is a neutral finding by itself, though it should prompt a question about whether any warranty or bond is still active.

One limitation is printed right on the form. The inspector reports only what is visible and accessible on the day of the visit, so finished basements, insulated crawl spaces, and stored belongings can all hide evidence the report will not capture.

Who Pays for the Inspection in Virginia

For years, VA rules blocked veteran buyers from paying the pest inspection fee on a purchase, so sellers customarily picked it up across Hampton Roads. The VA lifted that restriction a few years back, and buyers may now pay it themselves.

Custom has been slower to change than the rulebook. Many listings in Virginia Beach and Norfolk still show the seller covering the WDI fee, and plenty of agents write it into the contract that way without discussion.

On FHA, conventional, and cash deals, the buyer usually pays, the same as any other inspection. The fee is small enough that it rarely becomes a negotiating point on its own, and some home inspection companies discount it when bundled with the general inspection.

Put the payer in writing either way. The Virginia REALTORS contract forms have a line for it, and settling the question at ratification avoids a $150 argument during the busiest week of the deal.

What It Costs and When to Order It

A standalone WDI inspection in Virginia typically runs $75 to $175. Northern Virginia sits at the top of that range, while Richmond, Roanoke, and the smaller markets usually land near the middle. Bundling with a full home inspection often trims $25 to $50 off the price.

Order it during your inspection contingency window, ideally the same week as the general home inspection. Most contracts in Virginia give buyers 7 to 14 days, and the WDI report needs to reach the lender with enough runway to resolve any findings before closing.

Lenders also care about the report's age. Most want it dated within 30 to 90 days of closing depending on the loan program, so a report ordered the day after ratification on a slow deal can age out. If your closing is 60 days away, ask your lender which window applies before you schedule, and browse the home buying articles on our blog for more on sequencing the rest of your contingencies.

What the Findings Mean for Your Deal

A clean report goes to the lender and you move on. Any other result sorts into one of a few paths, and none of them automatically ends the purchase.

Live termites trigger treatment. On a VA loan the treatment happens before closing, the seller typically hires the company, and a liquid perimeter application on an average Virginia home runs about $1,000 to $2,500. The treating company then issues paperwork the lender accepts alongside the NPMA-33.

Old damage with no live activity is the judgment call. The WDI inspector will not tell you whether a chewed joist still carries load, so bring in a contractor or structural engineer for anything beyond surface damage. That evaluation usually costs $150 to $500 and gives you real numbers to work with.

Evidence of previous treatment with no damage is the mildest finding. Ask the seller for the old treatment paperwork and check whether a service agreement is still renewable, because picking up an existing warranty for $150 to $300 a year is cheaper than starting fresh.

Negotiating Repairs From the Report

Findings convert to leverage only during your contingency period, which is why timing the inspection early matters. Once the window closes, most Virginia contracts leave you choosing between taking the house as it is or walking away from your deposit.

Sellers respond better to bids than adjectives. A request backed by a treatment quote and a carpentry estimate, say $1,800 for treatment and $2,400 to sister two joists, moves faster than a vague ask for a credit. Credits at closing are often cleaner than seller-managed repairs, since you pick the contractor afterward.

Ask for the treatment warranty in either case. Most Virginia companies offer a one-year warranty with renewal options after treating, and having it transfer to you starts your ownership with coverage in place. Our pest control coverage breaks down what those service agreements cost year to year.

Crawl Spaces Are Virginia's Weak Spot

A large share of homes from Richmond east to the coast sit over vented crawl spaces, and that is where WDI inspectors find most of their evidence. Warm air meeting cool soil keeps humidity high under the floor, and damp wood draws termites.

Tidewater soil drains poorly in many neighborhoods, so standing water after storms is common under older homes in Norfolk and Hampton. Moisture itself is not a WDI finding, but inspectors note conducive conditions, and lenders sometimes ask for correction when fungi show on structural wood.

In the Roanoke Valley and points west, basements replace crawl spaces and the pressure shifts to framing near grade and wood decks. Different geometry, same insects, and the same $75 to $175 inspection covers it.

Buyers touring homes can screen for trouble before spending a dollar. Peeling paint on band boards, mulch mounded against siding, and a musty smell at the crawl space vents are all worth a note to your inspector before the visit.

Common Questions About WDI Inspections

Does every VA loan in Virginia need a termite inspection?

For nearly all purchases in Virginia, yes, the VA requires a WDI inspection because the state sits in a moderate-to-heavy infestation zone. Your lender orders nothing without the NPMA-33 in the file, so schedule it within your first week under contract.

How long does a WDI inspection take?

Usually 30 to 60 minutes for a single-family home with an accessible crawl space. Homes over 3,000 square feet or with multiple outbuildings can push past an hour, and the report typically arrives within 24 to 48 hours.

Can I use the seller's old termite report?

Only if it falls inside your lender's freshness window, usually 30 to 90 days, and most buyers should not want to. A report ordered by your side, paid for by whoever the contract names, works for you rather than the listing.

What if the crawl space is inaccessible on inspection day?

The inspector marks the area as not inspected, and lenders often refuse the report until access is opened. Sellers usually clear the blockage within a few days, but that delay is another reason to inspect in week one rather than week three.

Do new construction homes need a WDI report?

Under VA financing, new builds usually satisfy the requirement with the builder's soil treatment documentation instead of an inspection. Ask for the treatment certificate at closing, since pre-construction soil treatment in Virginia typically carries a one-year warranty.

Is a termite inspection the same as a home inspection?

No. The general inspector covers systems and structure broadly, while the WDI inspector examines wood for insect evidence and signs of treatment. Bundled together they usually total $400 to $700 in most Virginia markets.