by Dan Popoff

Created on: July 08, 2010   Last Updated: July 10, 2010

My job, although it is very hot, sweaty and often times very dirty, brings the satisfaction of saving a homeowner a ton of heartache and possibly, thousands of dollars. I am a termite inspector/technician.

Working in the hot south, where the termite population is one of the highest in the country, my profession has, in most ways, survived the economic downturn most of the country has gone through. The public perception of the termite industry has been, in large part, based on the individual attempting to perform this function.

Historically, this profession was served by college students on summer break used during the busy swarm season or the construction laborer laid off during slow building periods. The training was generally a day or two riding along side an experienced technician and then turned loose with a stack of renewals to get done. Many times in reading the inspection reports from these “inspectors”, I easily understand why homeowners would question paying the annual renewal fee.

 We have, in our industry, gone through a major change in how and who can perform this type of work. The state of South Carolina has implemented several new policies and procedures to protect not only the homeowners from sloppy and incompetent reporting, but also to elevate the profession to a more competent practice.

Gone, I hope, are the days where a termite inspector shows up at a client’s home, cigarette dangling from his or her mouth and says “going to check them there termites for ya”. We have evolved into a more consultative type inspector, so that the homeowner clients actually see the value in performance. A termite inspection today entails much more than finding termites in a substructure of a home. A true professional inspector takes the responsibility of protecting this home seriously.

We have found through the years that this renewal revenue, which is a great source of income for the pest control company, can also be a good add-on revenue source for the firm, if performed correctly. A true professional will find and identify a potential cause of an infestation; this means, in termite industry terminology, a conducive condition in which to live. This could range from high moisture condition in a crawl space to inadequate ventilation of the crawl space or no ventilation at all.

In order to change the public perception of a termite inspector, we have to always look for ways to expand our knowledge, including taking workshops or seminars on the latest treatments.  We also should strive to educate the homeowners; not only about the termites infesting their homes, but also on conditions that could cause issues in their crawl spaces.  In the end, this gives the homeowner clients greater home value. After all, we are protecting their greatest investment.

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