SEPTIC SYSTEM DISCLOSURE
Do you know what to look for if the house you are considering buying has a Septic System?Do you know what forms are required when a house is being sold with a Septic System?Do you know if a Home Inspector licensed by the Texas Real Estate Commission will even look at your septic system?Do you think that your RealtorŪ will look out for you and make sure you don't step in. well you get the picture?
If you can not answer "YES" to each and every question, you might be in for some serious expenses in your near future.Septic systems can be very expensive to maintain and when they fail and breakdown, the cost of a new septic system can be as much as $20,000.00 or MORE!So having some idea of what is involved is extraordinarily important.
"I'm not worried about it, I have a RealtorŪ."
You better start worrying.In two cases in my office, the RealtorŪ completely ignored a required Texas Real Estate Commission form, TAR 1407.It is a specific disclosure about septic systems.In one of the cases, the RealtorŪ was an "INTERMEDIARY" agent, meaning they represented both the buyer and the seller.So, when the seller client did not give a TAR 1407 Septic System disclosure form to her other client, the buyer, the buyer's agent, her, should have reminded herself that she hadn't provided the TAR 1407 to her buyer client.
I have stated in previous blogs that a home inspection is a waste of time and money.I still believe that for the vast majority of home inspectors, that is true. When a septic system is involved, it is even more true.They do not even look at them.They do nothing to determine if they work, are functional, their capacity, or any other salient fact.
What Can You Do?
Well, you can't depend on your realtor.If you happen to read this BEFORE you buy a house and you know or suspect it has a septic system, DEMAND that the seller provide you with a Form TAR 1407.Then, hire a septic system professional to inspect the system for you.The money you spend will save you enormously.