Above grade / the closing file
What a Termite Letter Costs in Hampton Roads
Every closing needs one, nobody explains it, and the price question gets asked a dozen ways. Here is the straight version.
The short answer
A flat fee, not a per hour charge.
Across this market WDI reports commonly sit somewhere between fifty and one hundred fifty dollars. We quote our current flat rate when you book.
A termite letter is the everyday name for the NPMA-33 Wood Destroying Insect Inspection Report, the standardized document lenders request before funding a home purchase or refinance. In Hampton Roads, where VA loans dominate and nearly every house has a crawl space, the letter is a routine line item in almost every transaction.
Why the range is as wide as it is
Across the Hampton Roads market, WDI reports are typically priced as a flat fee, and most companies charge somewhere in the range of fifty to one hundred fifty dollars. Where a company lands in that range usually reflects scheduling speed, report turnaround, and whether the inspector actually enters the crawl space or peers in from the hatch. Call 757-583-4444 and you will have the number in one call.
Who pays for it
It is negotiated in the contract like any other closing cost. On VA loans there is history here: for years VA rules prevented the veteran buyer from paying for the termite inspection on a purchase, so Virginia sellers customarily covered it. A 2022 VA policy change now permits the buyer to pay. In practice, Hampton Roads contracts still assign it either way, and we bill whichever party the contract names.
How long the letter stays good
The NPMA-33 form has no printed expiration date. Lenders impose the freshness window, and most want the inspection dated within 30 to 90 days of closing. VA loans generally accept reports up to 90 days old. The practical rule: schedule the inspection once your closing date is realistic, not the day after ratification on a 60 day close.
Line items
What can change the total
Three things move a flat fee off flat. None of them is a surprise if the file is ordered early enough for anyone to see them coming.
Re-inspection after work
A second visit once treatment or repairs clear the findings from the first report.
Added visit
A second structure
A detached garage or outbuilding the lender wants included in the report.
Added scope
Rush scheduling
A very tight closing that needs the inspection inside a day or two.
Usually absorbed
Grade level
The fee is the same number whether the inspector traverses the crawl space or looks in from the hatch. Only one of those produces a report worth the paper.
Scheduling
When to put it on the calendar
A letter ordered too early gets bought twice.
- 01 Too early to be useful
Ratification day
Nothing is gained by ordering here. A report dated at ratification can age out of a settlement that slips, and then it gets bought twice.
- 02 The slot that protects everyone
Once the closing date is realistic
This is the order point. The inspection lands inside the window lenders want and still leaves room to act on anything the report says.
- 03 Treatment and repair have lead time
Findings, if there are any
Treatment schedules in days. Repair estimates need to be requested the day the report lands, not the week of settlement.
- 04 Closes the loop with the lender
The updated report
Corrective work is documented and the revised paperwork goes back to the file. One company, one timeline, no vendor tennis.
Full details of the report itself live in our guide to the NPMA-33 form, and the service page for WDI inspections covers scheduling. If your contract clock is already running, skip the reading and call.
End of the descent
Need the letter this week?
Same-day appointments are often available across Hampton Roads. Call or send the form and we will confirm your time window.
Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. Licensed and insured in Virginia.