Well/Septic Newbie

[Michael Herr]

I am well above the average DIYer in skill, and was mostly through a home-inspection course before career change, so I know a great deal about most things in a home, except for wells/septic.

I am looking at a SFH tomorrow that is on a well and septic system.

The plumbing is winterized, house is in as-is condition, owned by HUD.

What clues should I look for to give me a guess if everything is in good operating condition?

What would a ballpark cost be to drill a new well and fix a major septic issue?

[Karin Crompton]

I'm of the school of thought that you always test the well and septic (we only have a few contingencies we ever use, and those are 2 musts for us). What's a couple hundred bucks for an inspection in the overall scope of things? Peanuts. And I don't want to take the chance on those 2 budget-killing items.

Also, it's a misconception that you can't perform inspections when a house is sold as-is. You absolutely can. The "as-is" part only means the seller won't make any repairs. But you can certainly include them as contingencies in your Purchase and Sale Agreement, and then walk and get your deposit back if you find a problem. Double-check, but I believe that's the case nationwide. To me, it's a reasonable request and a very small expense.