Property Managers

About our inspections: Vital Signs Professional Real Estate Services Inc. inspectors have years of experience in multi-unit construction with a focus on localized treatment. The science of localized treatment has improved greatly over the past years due to the addition of new chemistry. Our professional staff strives to obtain a complete picture of your properties needs and then make the best recommendations for what we find. Your best interests are always considered first. We have no bias regarding the types of treatments and don't use gimmicks to lure customers. We recommend what will work best and always offer alternatives if you desire them.

If you need repairs: When damage from wood destroying pests or wood decay fungus (commonly called dry rot) rears its ugly head, we are there for you. We have a crew experienced in making repairs to various areas of the structure. We take pride in blending and making matching materials and paint to keep your property looking good. These abilities come into play when doing localized treatment as well. Our experience includes roofing leaks, balconies, steps, fences, shower pans and more.

The products we use are the best and most effective available:

Termidor (active ingredient: fipronil): has an almost perfect record for controlling termites above and below the soil. Nothing ever used before has proven this good in both lab and field trials. It is used in other arenas such as flea control and pets and has a long track record of safety and effectiveness. Note: This product is far superior to Orange Oil in that Termidor avoids leaving a lingering odor and the termites spread Termidor much farther than just the termites contacted by the spray.

Tim-Bor (active ingredient: disodium octaborate tetrahydrate) is best wood preservative as well as a good treating material. It is used in top quality wood items such as grand pianos. Once it is applied to bare wood in a building it penetrates to the center and thoroughly protects it from all insect and fungus attacks. It will last as long as the building does.

Vikane Fumigant (active ingredient: Sulfuryl fluoride) is the best gas fumigant for structures on the market. We don't like to recommend the big guns but it is nice to know it is there when the situation calls for it.

Next, the muti-unit building treatment dilemmas: You are not alone in this situation. The goal is to protect the building from ravages of wood destroying pests and organisms. The choice for treatment, scheduling of work, disruption of normal life and of course the cost all can become items for debate. Whether you have an apartment building with one owner making the decision or condominium/townhouses individually owned and governed by an HOA board, the following parts pertain to most.

Choice of treatment: In deciding what kind of treatment to have done, it usually boils down to what will be most effective vs what will be the easiest to live through.

• As to what is most effective, trust our company termite inspector's judgement on this one. No company wants to take more liability than necessary. So we will be honest in recommending what will fit best.
• As to what will be easiest, a tent fumigation can be invasive and troublesome. The premises must be evacuated for the better part of three days and two nights. All fresh food and opened containers must be bagged up and removed. Pets ad potted plants must be moved. Whereas, a localized treatment has none of those requirements and tenants only need to allow access and stay out of our work area for a while.

Whether our company does a thorough inspection or a quick limited look is dependent on the question of treatment type. A thorough inspection is recommended in either case by our company because Drywood termites are the only insect pest designed to be controlled during tent fumigation. Other troubles that are disclosed during full inspections are subterranean termites, wood decay fungus and conductive conditions that are likely to lead to future problems and costly trouble.

Scheduling of work: When a tent fumigation is set up, you will have everyone doing the same thing at the same time.The only thing to deal with will be wood repairs and other treatments such as subterranean termites as needed.

For localized treatment, the scheduling is much more flexible and can be accomplished over a longer period of time. Special times can be set up to accommodate such as Saturdays.

Disruption of normal life activities: The disruption of the tenants life is greater in tent fumigation. A full list of the preparations for fumigation is available upon request.

Cost: The cost to the whole HOA will vary depending on choice of treatment and special needs. Sometimes localized treatments cost less than a tent fumigation and vice versa. 

Some costs not normally considered when making this decision is the possible cost of damage to roofing materials and possible plant damage near the foundation when tenting. The liability for these is not covered under the fumigation agreement.

A debate between tenants may polarize the situation due to these differences in burden. People who will suffer more in preparing for fumigation may want to go with a localized treatment while the owner of a currently vacant unit may only consider the cost.

There is an age old debate on the fairness of the financial burden between those whose units happen to have termites and those whose don't. From our company perspective this is not a fair view point. If "spot here/spot there" treatments are pursued it is likely that more units will become infected over time.

I hope this information helps in your decision making. We look forward to working with you on your property.