An ounce of prevention is worth thousands of dollars in repairs.
Use this seven-step checklist to make your home unwelcome to termites.

1. Keep it dry. Termites need moisture for survival, so they seek out wet places around your home. Check your gutters to make sure water drains away from the home and doesn't pool around your foundation.
2. Wood is an avenue in for termites, so keep all firewood, lumber or wood products away from your home's foundation or crawl space. Also embed all outdoor wood posts and stairs in concrete, and always allow an 18-inch gap between the soil and wooden portions of your home.
3. Have a solid foundation. Termites can sneak through openings as small as a pinpoint, so seal all cracks and holes in your home's concrete foundation.
4. Examine your storage spaces. Rotted wood, or damage to cardboard boxes, wallpaper, carpeting or sheetrock are all signs that termites have already invaded your home.
5. Inspect windowsills and doorframes for sawdust and bug-size wings. Termites leave behind their wings when they reproduce, so check to make sure these locations are free of debris.
6. Look for mud tunnels running along your home's foundation. These "bug size" tracks of damp dirt or bubbled paint on wooden surfaces allow termites to enter your home without being exposed to sunlight and air, which can be deadly to termites.
7. Are you swarm-free? Beginning in the spring, reproductive termites swarm in the early evening or after rainstorms. Swarming termites around or inside your home is a major warning sign of potential infestation.