E.I.F.S. exterior insulation finishing system - Dryvit or Synthetic Stucco

Buyers, before you purchase a home with an exterior of E.I.F.S. sometimes called Dryvit (trade name) or synthetic stucco, investigate what you are buying.  AccuSpec Inc. has an explanation page on E.I.F.S.  and a search on Googletm using the terms "E.I.F.S.  exterior insulation finishing system" finds a number of web sites with these terms.  If you substitute insulated for insulation you find another group of sites.  I once was told by a mail man of a robbery he knew in which just a knife was used to cut through the back of the home's Dryvit exterior thereby  gaining entrance into the home and a subsequent robbery took place.  Sounds a little hard to believe but before you purchase, investigate and see the  the product and judge for yourself.  Finally consider any impact the finish will have upon future resale.

Sellers, since the major problem with E.I.F.S.  is its ability to retain moisture causing all sorts of problems,  moisture readings would assist in demonstrating that there is no problem with your home's finish.  Additionally, concern may come from a termite inspection especially if the exterior finish goes "to the ground" and the slab is not visible.  In this situation, the finish would effectively mask any termite infestation and the termite inspector may require the dirt to be excavated from around the slab to prove no active termites are present.