WARNING!!!!!
KEEP IN MIND THE FOLLOWING ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION IS JUST MY PERSONAL OPINION BASED ON MY PERSONAL LIFE EXPERIENCE AND SHOULD NOT BE INTERPRETED BY ANYONE AS ADVICE, INSTRUCTION, CONSULTATION OR SUGGESTION OF ANY KIND- GET IT???!!!
YOU NEED TO DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH ON WHAT YOU NEED TO DECIDE, AND YOU ARE THE ONLY PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR DECISIONS- SEPTICS AND WELLS ARE SERIOUS ISSUES TO CONDEND WITH AND COULD SERIOUSLY AFFECT THE VALUE, MARKETABILITY AND DESIRABILITY OF A PROPERTY!!!!!
In many areas of the country having a septic & well is the norm- And in many cases it could be a plus. Simply because you don’t have to pay the consistently increasing utility bills we get monthly. HOWEVER, THIS IS A SERIOUS CONSIDERATION & SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN LIGHTLY!
Personally, I would rather have septics and wells than ever deal with LA County or ANY county water Dept.…!
However, the down side is if anything goes wrong- and they do- you are on the hook for the cost of repairs- so I suppose it’s 6 of one or half dozen of another…;-)
What can go wrong? A LOT!!!
1- The Well could go dry and potentially render your property WORTHLESS! Cost to drop a new well- (IF POSSIBLE) in my area depending on who you hire to do it – $5,000 to $15,000 average… without too many complications, but there really is no FIRM number, just a MINIMUM! It depends on many factors but primarily how deep they gotta go- Typically if the water table in your area is good (HIGH) it’s no big deal.
2- Then there’s the water flow as in GPM- (Gallons per minute)- the higher the better, if too low, a holding tank might be required.
3- Then the quality issues. There are companies who will come out and test water quality, and also many options on the internet.
4- TIP- If you have cattle grazing nearby, expect fecal matter in your water, IT’S GOT TO GO SOMEWHERE 😉 But even that can TYPICALLY be cured with a UV light installed onto your filtering system- cost- about $100 to $500 depending on where you get and who installs… Internet is great place to learn all this stuff and find great remedies for reasonable prices. The best part is all this is pretty basic and common sense.
5- Then, minerals in water – arsenic, iron, bacteria … you name it.
6- Then the cost of the filtering system you might need to resolve the problem. On the other hand, I have never seen a problem that could not be resolved. DON’T FREAK OUT!
7- If the Well is already in and working, have it checked out before you close escrow as a contingency of purchase- typically repairs if needed are no big deal.
8- Septics- depending on what kind it is, what it’s made of will determine whether you will LOVE them or HATE them- BOTTOM LINE- IN MY PERSONAL OPINION, Concrete RULES!
9- There are many types that range from plastic to Metal (metal suck and won’t last- water, metal …never a good mix for the long-term). Again, cost to drop in a new one can range all over the place depending primarily on who you hire to do it. Most folks that deal with this try to screw you for as much as possible by complicating EVERYTHING! The actual cost of let’s say a 1200 gallon tank (the size goes according to how many bedrooms in the home and your local county/state regulations) USED TO RANGE from about $900 to $1500 (I may be behind the times on these costs as it has been a few years since I dealt with one of these repairs). TYPICALLY…They will bring it out and drop it in your pre-dug hole- this does NOT include any other costs like hooking it up or creating leech lines… Anyway, research is KING in all this and the INTERNET is you lifeline and salvation-
10- TIP- TAKE YOUR TIME WHEN EVALUATING THE PROPERTY & ANYTHING HAVING TO DO WITH REPAIRS TO ANY OF THESE ITEMS, WELLS OR SEPTICS!!!
11- ALSO- Remember to ALWAYS have a contingency in your offer for Well FLOW & PURITY TESTS (Many times you can get seller to pay and in some states it is mandated that seller pick up the cost for at least the minimal testing. Remember you can expand tests to cover a broader range of items checked at your request just by agreeing to pay the additional minimal expense.
12- WELL… the bottom line is you should NOT be afraid of Wells or Septics AS LONG AS YOU DO YOUR due diligence and understand the simplicity of both and what could go wrong. Both will require ongoing minimal maintenance, But nothing that should scare you or prevent you from moving forward on a buying a profitable deal- We have rentals with septics and I personally own a home with both.
13- Just do your work- understand what you need to check, HAVE CONTINGENCIES IN PLACE JUST IN CASE YOU DON’T WANT TO DEAL WITH WHAT YOU DISCOVER- Consider this an opportunity to learn something that will help you feel confident about buying these types of properties in the future- MOST investors RUN when they hear WELL or SEPTIC and guys like myself understand that this is just an opportunity to NEGOTIATE the BETTER purchase price.
14- Forgive the lengthy response- and REMEMBER- THIS ANSWER IS NOT ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WELLS AND SEPTICS BEFORE YOU PULL THE TRIGGER!
15- DO YOUR RESEARCH! DO NOT RELY ON WHAT I WROTE HERE AS THE BIBLE ON WHAT TO DO – Ultimately it will be YOU who has to deal with YOUR decisions! GOOD LUCK!