When a real estate agent needs a WDO inspection completed before a closing date, or a property manager is fielding a call about something suspicious in a crawlspace, the path forward is the same: a thorough inspection first, then a treatment matched to what the inspection actually finds. San Mateo's mix of older wood-frame homes, multi-unit buildings, and active real estate market means that kind of call comes in regularly. Agents, buyers, and managers all need answers on a timeline, and the inspection is where those answers come from.
We cover San Mateo and the surrounding area. Whether the call is about a property under contract, a building that has not been looked at in years, or a homeowner who noticed something and wants to know what it means, we book the inspection and work from what it finds. The rate is confirmed on the call before anything is scheduled.
Getting a quote starts with a phone call to (669) 359-4289.
Before we confirm anything, we will ask about the property: how it is built, whether it sits on a slab or has a crawlspace, what you have noticed and where you noticed it, and whether the inspection is for a transaction or because something has caught your attention.
You do not need to know what kind of termite you are dealing with. That is what the inspection is for. The more clearly you can describe what you saw and where, the easier it is to scope the job on the call and give you a rate before the visit is booked.
A protected foundation. A clear report. A plan you can follow.
The foundation perimeter is where subterranean termite activity tends to announce itself first. Mud tubes, those narrow channels built from soil and debris, run up concrete, brick, and wood framing wherever a colony is moving between the ground and the structure above. Tapping wood near the sill plate or along a floor joist and hearing a hollow return is another indicator worth following up on. Paint that is bubbling without a clear moisture source sometimes points to activity in the wall behind it.
Drywood termite activity shows up differently. Small holes in wood surfaces, often with tiny pellet-like droppings below them, are the clearest indicator. Those droppings, called frass, are easy to mistake for sawdust or debris from a pest that is not a termite at all. Discarded wings near a window or doorframe after a swarm are a signal that a colony is nearby and expanding.
Neither of these is a definitive diagnosis. An inspection is what confirms the type, maps how far it has spread, and determines what the structure actually needs. Wood touching soil around the foundation is worth fixing either way, because that contact creates the conditions both types of termite use to their advantage.
The price for a termite job is shaped by the structure, not by a flat rate applied before anyone has looked at the property. The size of the building, how it is built, how reachable the affected timber is, and which treatment approach fits the termite type and the extent of the infestation all move the number.
A crawlspace property with accessible subfloor framing is scoped differently from a slab-on-grade home. A localized drywood infestation in a section of attic framing calls for a different approach than a widespread infestation that has moved through multiple areas of the structure. Multi-unit buildings introduce their own considerations around access and coordination with tenants.
The rate is confirmed on the call. Ask what it covers and you get a straight answer. Nothing is scheduled until the cost and the scope are both clear. There is a fuller write-up on the full list of termite services.
San Mateo's real estate market moves quickly, and a WDO inspection needed before a closing date cannot wait. We book termite inspections around your schedule, and that includes working around a contract timeline. Call and ask about a WDO inspection, which is the California term for the wood-destroying organism inspection that buyers, sellers, agents, and lenders ask about at the point of sale or refinancing. The visit is booked once the rate is confirmed and the timing works.
For occupied properties, we confirm what the visit involves and what needs to be accessible before anyone arrives. Crawlspace hatches, attic access, and the foundation perimeter all need to be reachable. For multi-unit buildings, coordinating around tenants is part of the conversation when you call. We work around the schedule that fits the property.
Booking your inspection takes one phone call. We are available every day from 5:00 AM to 11:00 PM.
Call (669) 359-4289 to confirm availability and get a rate.
The inspection covers the foundation perimeter, the crawlspace and subfloor where accessible, slab edges, visible framing, and the attic where entry allows. To make that possible, a few things need to be clear before the visit.
Crawlspace access hatches should be unobstructed. Storage stacked against the foundation wall or blocking the attic hatch slows the inspection and may mean some areas cannot be reached. The perimeter of the structure, inside and out, should be as accessible as possible.
For a fumigation job, preparation is more involved, and those steps are covered in detail on the call before anything is scheduled. Products are applied according to the label, and what a household should plan for regarding pets, plants, and re-entry time is explained before the visit. Any questions about a specific product can be answered on the call.
Sometimes a treatment needs a follow-up visit. Activity that persists after an initial treatment, or that shows up in a new area of the structure, is addressed by going back and re-examining what the inspection found. A retreatment is scoped from what the follow-up visit confirms, not from an assumption about what must have been missed.
When termite activity has been present long enough to affect structural timber, a damage assessment documents what has been compromised and to what degree. This is often needed before repair work begins, or when a property is being sold and the extent of damage needs to be established clearly.
Where accessible wood framing has been damaged or is actively infested, direct wood treatment addresses the timber itself. Borate applications penetrate the wood and remain active in the treated area. This approach is most appropriate when the infestation is contained and the affected timber can be reached without opening walls.
A property that has been vacant for a period of time may have had termite activity go unnoticed. No one was watching for the early signs, and conducive conditions, moisture, wood-to-soil contact, and poor ventilation in a crawlspace, can develop without anyone catching them. An inspection before a vacant property is re-occupied or brought back to market gives a clear picture of what the structure needs.
Detached structures are easy to overlook when a termite inspection is being arranged. A garage or workshop with a wood-framed wall, a concrete slab edge, or timber sitting close to grade is just as vulnerable as the main structure and is inspected the same way. If a detached building is on the property, mention it when you call.
We serve San Mateo and the surrounding communities throughout San Mateo County. That coverage includes Hillsborough, Baywood Park, Foster City, Belmont, and Highlands.
If your property is in or around the area, call (669) 359-4289 to confirm coverage at your address.
The same inspection and treatment approach applies across every property we cover. The termite type, the structure, and the extent of the infestation are what shape the plan. We're ready when the termites aren't welcome anymore.
Lenders involved in a home purchase or refinance sometimes ask for a WDO inspection as part of the documentation. The inspection confirms whether wood-destroying organisms are present and what conditions were found. Call to ask about scheduling a WDO inspection around a loan timeline.
Yes. We book WDO inspections around transaction timelines, and that includes properties that are already under contract.
Call (669) 359-4289 and let us know where the closing date sits.
The rate is confirmed on the call, and the visit is booked once the timing works for the property.
A liquid termiticide barrier treatment involves trenching the soil around the foundation, which can affect plantings close to the foundation perimeter. The scope of any disruption depends on the treatment type and the layout of the property. The inspector will note what to expect before the work is scheduled.
It does, and it is one of the first things we ask about when you call. Older wood-frame homes with crawlspaces are inspected and treated differently from newer slab-on-grade construction, because the accessible areas differ and so do the likely entry points. The construction type affects how the inspector works through the structure and which treatment approach fits what is found.
If a WDO inspection is part of what has to happen before a transaction closes, the time to book it is now.
Call (669) 359-4289 and ask about scheduling.
The rate is confirmed on the call, the visit is booked once the timing works, and the inspection is completed so the transaction can move forward.
From the inspection on, it's on us.
Also reaching: Redwood City, Menlo Park, East Palo Alto, Hayward, Palo Alto.
(669) 359-4289