A house wrecked by termites was something the house-pickers were most afraid of.
The value of a house was largely dependent on its infrastructure. However, once it had been infested with termites, you could consider the house to be doomed. Unless someone discovered the termites once they moved in and took actions to protect the house by killing the pests, not long after the house would start to have thousands of holes in every wooden structure.
Such a situation was rare in China. That was because, since ancient times, the Chinese built houses with earth masonry. The termites did not have a chance against it. It was different in America. There were houses made from wood everywhere, a heaven for termites.
Hence, the first thing that Americans did after they bought a house would be to do some pest extermination. Termites were more common in foreclosure houses, usually because the previous owner had purposely placed them there.
