Massachusetts Title V on a flip

[Craig Fogarty]

Good evening!

Hey everyone,

I walked through a single family flip with my GC today and the big wild card is the septic. The seller claims it’s a septic “installed many years ago” he said its been pumped every year but it hasn’t been inspected in some time. The only documentation I could pull from town records is something from the 1940s and it mentions a “cess pool”. The property is 50 feet yards from a large pond and the town requires the septic company to fill out a report any time a tank in that area is pumped. I was told by my GC that depending on the perc test the town could make me put in some $40,000 system if the water table is high. I'm trying to perform my due diligence so maybe I call the health department to see what's been installed in the area recently? Or if they have specific requirements for that area? What do you think? If I make my offer subject to inspection, what actions should I take during the inspection? Any feedback would be helpful!!

[Lien Vuong]

Your GC is right - a failed septic could be a huge repair ticket and eat all your profits. The best person to call is the local Title V inspector who can look at your system. Most towns have qualified inspectors on their city website for your use - that's your best resource and a few hundred dollars to inspect the system is well worth your risk of buying a lemon.