If you are at the point where you are considering buying a home with a septic system, you’ll want to know a few things before you commit to the purchase:
- There is a period after the offer is accepted where you are able to have inspections done on the property you are hoping to purchase. These inspections include looking for things like unsafe radon gas levels trapped in the home or termite activity, a building inspection, and if you are considering buying a home with a septic system, there should also be some inspection of that system as well.
- Check the seller disclosures first. If the seller can provide you with sufficient evidence from a qualified third-party (like us at Sauer Septic) that the home you are considering buying has a septic system in good repair, then that is awesome for this stage of the game.
- Many times, the information you get on the septic tank may only include unreliable memories instead of cold, hard paperwork. You’ll want to work with the seller to make a plan for how the tank(s) and system will be inspected, who will do the inspection, when and how access for inspection can be granted and – also VERY importantly to both of you – establish how this is going to be paid for and cover liability in an amendment sort of document to the offer.
- Even if you choose not to have a thorough inspection done before purchase and come up with another plan to accommodate for this in buying a home with a septic system, at a minimum, you’ll want to know exactly where the access is to the tank. Not all home owners have accesses above ground, since the tanks are buried so deep for pressurization reasons. If the access isn’t marked, you may have to pay to uncover the entire tank for pumping when the time comes within the next few years. You’ll want to make reasonable arrangements to accommodate for this inconvenience based on the information the seller can give to you if you are deciding to buy a home with a septic system.
