Well, well, well…
So you’re considering buying a house with a well? Which there’s nothing wrong with! Wells certainly have their perks, one being that you aren’t paying for the water you use. So say goodbye to a water bill! It can also be much healthier for you, not carrying around any of the additives you can easily find in city water. Also, for the most part, well water is reliable (reread for the most part). You can certainly find many homes around this Hampton Roads area that run on well systems…but would you even know what to ask an agent/seller when considering a well?
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My youngest daughter recently purchased her first home up in Connecticut, a very cute home on a lake that runs on well water. Her experience with this has led me to write this post and help future buyers (especially first time home buyers) on things they should ask their realtor when looking at a home with a well. She and her husband didn’t do anything wrong, per se, and according to all the paperwork there was nothing there to even really raise any suspicion.
However, after they moved into the home it became evident very quickly that there was a real issue going on. Within the first few days, while they were doing their laundry, getting dishes done, and taking their showers, they ran out of water! Their pump (which is above ground) just kept running without shutting off and was not producing any water. Naturally they called the local well company that serviced the well, and immediately something didn’t seem quite right.
The technician on the phone asked their address, then remarked, “Oh yea, we know that property. We were out there a few times when the contractors were there.” Her and her husband both found this odd, especially since nothing was disclosed to them that there was anything wrong with the well in the first place. They even went back and reread the paperwork and in the section where the seller had to acknowledge if there were any known issues with the well, he checked ‘no’. However, according to the technician they just got off the phone with, the well was a problem.
She and her husband contacted their lawyer, who subpoenaed the water company to provide invoices of work that was done on the well within the last year. Their lawyer also wrote a certified letter to the seller explaining that clearly there’s an issue with the well and asked what he intended to do about it. Not so surprising, his lawyer got back to them and stated that there was no way he could have known there was an issue (which, ok, there may be a slight chance he didn’t), but that he was willing to settle for $500. To put this into perspective, they basically need a new well which is going to cost them about $15,000. But I beg the question: why was he willing to settle for $500 off the bat if he truly didn’t know of the issue?
The two of them tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, but as they became friendly with their neighbor she relayed to them that the seller absolutely knew there was an issue with the well because she had personally told him about it. The neighbor was very familiar with the property and the previous owners and what issues they had while living there. She relayed to my daughter that she would sign an affidavit if need be, even testify on a stand if it came to that! (They are, in fact, going to proceed with a law suit).
After that conversation there was no denying that the seller knew of the issue, and I won’t say he took advantage of the fact that they were first time home buyers…but it’s hard not to think that way given how things went about.
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Which brings me to the purpose of this post: to educate those who are considering buying a house with a well on what questions they should be asking before making a purchase.
First I want to start off by advising to always have your own inspection done. The seller and their agent presented them with the option to utilize the inspection that was done a month prior. They looked it over and everything seemed to check out, so they agreed to use the previous inspection to help save on costs. Not unheard of, but better to be safe than sorry and bite the bullet to have your own inspection done on the property.
When it comes to wells, to be on the absolute safest side, have a professional come out and inspect the well. Those professionals should be doing a quality and quantity test. Each state has its own regulations for wells and what they require from a seller to provide. Also, depending on your mortgage lender, there may be additional tests required for inspection to pass (believe me, this is a good thing- it protects you as a buyer!). Some states require a seller to test the quality of the water prior to any signing, but others don’t, and it’s on the buyer to get these tests done to make an educated financial decision.
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In the State of Virginia, law states in concern to purchasing a home with a well that:
The Seller has to provide:
a certificate less than 30 days old prior to settlement from a government authority or “appropriate” private business that states the water is “free from contamination by coliform bacteria” (E. Coli is one of these types of bacteria)
if Purchaser has FHA or VA loan the seller will also be required to include levels of lead and must meet the standards that the mortgage providers set forth
If contamination is detected in one of these tests:
Seller is responsible (at seller’s expense) for getting “appropriate” repairs/remedies done to well
The Purchaser has the right to
terminate the contract and have deposit returned
“waive the defect” and proceed to settlement with no adjustments to Purchase Price
These are the guidelines that you will find can change from state to state, so it’s important to know before you start your house-hunting ventures.
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Now, what are some key questions to ask when considering a home with a well?:
Is the water potable (drinkable)?
Always have the water quality tested to make sure it’s safe to drink. Things a comprehensive water test would be testing for are: coliform bacteria, radon in water, pH, hardness, nitrate, nitrite, chloride, calcium, sodium, iron, manganese, magnesium, fluoride, copper, lead and arsenic.
Also, to be safe, you should request a VOC test (Volatile Organic Compounds). These are the real bad guys that you definitely do not want to be drinking.
Radon is another important one to test for that isn’t always included in the ‘overall’ testing. It’s dangerous to consume, and can be easily fixed…but for a hefty sum. Average is usually $5,000-$6,000, so better to know prior to purchasing the home!
How old is the well?
An age of a well is important to know because nothing lasts forever! The average ‘life’ of a well is approximately 30-50 years, more or less depending on circumstances.
If the well 15+ years, at the very least you may want to budget in replacing the pump and well pressure tank. Well pumps usually have a life span of 10 years or so. If the well is 20+ years, you should budget in replacing the pieces that commonly fail to avoid issues in the future.
How deep is the well?
The bare minimum a well should be drilled is 40ft, but they usually go up to 100ft or so. The depth of the well is important for obvious reasons…it will directly affect the yield of the well.
How much water does this well produce (quantity)?
Speaking of yield, it is SO important to know how much the water produces. You will find that a 3-gallon per minute minimum is the requirement for most states, with the average being 3-5 gallons. However, the average home needs about 100-120 gallons per day, with a 6-12 gallon per minute requirement. A professional well inspection can test this for you, and I highly recommend you do so.
This is where my daughter and her husband ran into their issues, because apparently in Connecticut the seller isn’t required to test this, and their agent didn’t advise them to do so. They now have to basically ration their water use. Gone are the days of doing multiple loads of laundry in one day. Between showers, washing dishes, and general water usage most of us take for granted (flushing a toilet, brushing your teeth, washing your hands), they have to monitor how much water and how often they are using it so that they don’t ‘run out’ (when I say run out, I don’t mean they are totally out of water. I mean they have used all the water currently available in the well until it fills up again…which usually takes half a day to fill up again).
Where is the tank in relation to the sewage line/septic tank?
Many properties with wells will have a septic tank (not the case with my daughter and her home, they actually do have a sewer line). There are laws that dictate how far a well has to be from any sort of septic tank/material (I feel like this is obvious, but we don’t want our water having the potential to mix with our sewage). With a septic tank the minimum is 100ft. If you come across a home that is less than that 100ft, walk away immediately. However, this should be a rare occurrence since this is usually tested by the board of health officials prior to declaring a property ‘livable’.
Are there any known water issues in the area?
what affects one well will more often than not affect others in the area. It’s good to know if there are any current/past issues to be as educated as you can about the home you are looking at.
These are the major things to look for and ask about, but there are many little nuances here or there that you may also consider in addition to the ones listed above. Ask, ask, ask! Don’t be afraid to ask any question, no matter how small. Any professional working with you should be able and willing to provide the answers to all your questions, and if they can’t? Find someone else!
All in all the moral of the story is: get your well inspected. Always.
