Termite Inspection Orange County Termite Terry Pest Control

Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, South Orange County, Long Beach Area

The “House From Hell”

Everyone knows that they should maintain their car (or truck) and change oil every three or four thousand miles, right? Well, as crazy as it seems, not everyone does that. Not long ago, I knew a guy that bought himself a huge F350 Ford pickup. It was jacked up high, had big tires and it was fully loaded with every accessory available.  His truck was impressive!

He drove it everyday and he got more than his share of attention. But, I still remember that one morning when he put the key in, tried to start it and nothing happened. He thought that the battery had just died. They tried to jump start it and still, nothing happened. So, he had it towed to the dealership.

The mechanic from the dealership took a look at his truck and asked, “When is the last time you changed the oil in this truck?” The owner of the truck thought for a minute and answered, “I don’t think I ever have.” That’s right! He drove the truck for over 30,000 miles and never once did he check or change the oil. The warranty on his truck was voided and he wound up buying a new engine that cost him a “whole ton of money”.

This story came to mind when I was looking at what I call a “house from hell”. It seemed like everything I touched on that house was destroyed by termites. When I totaled up the costs, my estimate for wood repairs was well over $15,000! (The owners were finally convinced, after living in the home for many years that it needed to be fumigated).

This home has been seriously neglected and it really does look like it came from hell. Unfortunately, the owners don’t have enough money to do the wood repairs. Worse yet, their home is in such terrible shape that they can’t even paint it!

Ladies and gentlemen, don’t let this happen to you. You know that you need to change the oil in your car every 3,000 to 4,000 miles. Please remember that if you live along the coast, you should also have your home fumigated every 8 to 10 years. As the mechanic in the old TV commercial used to say, “You can pay me now, or you can pay me a lot more, later.”