Above grade / the due diligence window
Termite Inspection vs Home Inspection: Two Documents, Two Jobs
One evaluates the whole house for you. The other is the wood destroying insect report your lender actually requires. Most Hampton Roads closings need both.
Two documents
The home inspection protects your judgement. The WDI report satisfies your lender.
On a VA closing in Virginia the second one is not optional, and it is the one with a date window attached.
Every spring we take calls from buyers who assume the home inspection covered termites, and from buyers who assume the termite letter covered the roof. Neither is true. These are two different inspections producing two different documents for two different audiences, and the contract timeline treats them differently too.
Two scopes, read against each other
Home inspection
- Whole-house scope: roof, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, structure, appliances
- Written for the buyer as a decision and negotiation tool
- Findings are informational, not pass or fail
- Report typically runs dozens of pages with photos
- Ordered by the buyer during the due diligence window
Your document. Most lenders never ask to see it.
WDI inspection (NPMA-33)
- Single scope: wood destroying insects, their evidence, and their damage
- Standardized NPMA-33 form that lenders and VA underwriters accept
- Required for VA loans in Virginia before the loan closes
- Lenders typically want it dated within 30 to 90 days of closing
- Flat-rate paid document issued by a licensed pest control operator
The lender document. A clear report keeps the closing on schedule.
Who requires which
The general home inspection is almost always the buyer own call. No one forces it, which is why waiving it became a bargaining chip in hot markets, for better or worse. The WDI inspection runs on different rails. In Virginia, VA loans require a clear wood destroying insect report before closing, and with the Navy footprint across Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Chesapeake, VA financing drives a huge share of local transactions. Since a 2022 policy change, VA buyers are allowed to pay for that inspection themselves, which simplified a negotiation that used to stall contracts. Conventional and FHA lenders in this market frequently ask for the same report whenever the appraisal or contract raises the question.
So the honest summary: the home inspection protects your judgment, the WDI report satisfies your lender, and on a VA closing the second one is not optional. The VA loan termite inspection guide covers that lane in detail.
Grade level
Wood destroying insects are the one category of damage that is both common here and invisible from the driveway. That is the whole reason the second document exists.
Why the file usually ends up holding both
Underwriters want the pest report because wood destroying insects are the one category of damage that is both common here and invisible from the driveway. Buyers want the general inspection because a clear termite letter says nothing about a 19 year old heat pump. A home inspector who spots suspected insect damage will refer it out for exactly this reason: the NPMA-33 must come from a licensed pest control operator, and reading that report is its own skill. Two scopes, two licenses, one closing file.
Back endHome inspection finds a problem
You get a paragraph Then you go find a contractor, get in a queue, and hope the estimate lands inside your due diligence window.
The inspector cannot fix what he found. That is the design.
Back endWDI inspection finds activity
The operator can close the loop Price the treatment, perform it, and issue the updated report the lender needs.
Which matters when a closing date is already circled on the calendar.
The one visit answer
The scheduling headache is real: two companies, two appointments, one due diligence clock, and a seller who has to clear out twice. Our answer is a partnership with BrickKicker home inspections, which bundles the full home inspection and the termite inspection into a single coordinated visit. One trip, both documents, and the pest side is handled by the company that will stand behind any treatment it recommends.
Cost planning is straightforward on the pest side, since the NPMA-33 is a flat rate document. The termite letter cost guide breaks down who typically pays and when. If your closing is inside 30 days, get the WDI on the calendar first; it is the one with a date window attached.
End of the descent
Need both inspections before closing?
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.