question: We are considering purchasing a house with well water. The seller has lived there for many years and has never had any problems. Is it worth having your well water tested?
answer: Yes, it is definitely worth having your well water tested, and testing may be required depending on the municipality or county where your property is located. Clean drinking water is often taken for granted. Well water can harbor contaminants that are dangerous to humans, including bacteria, inorganic and organic chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, and PCBs.
There are different levels of testing that can be performed. There is a minimal potability test that only checks for basic E. coli, total coliforms and nitrates, but in my opinion this is not enough. However, there are still minimal amounts of nitrite, lead, arsenic, fluoride, chloride, phosphate, sulfate, silver, barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, selenium, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and benzene. In addition to that partial list, there are also specific conductivity, hardness and pH tests. As you can see, there are basic tests that check just three items, and deluxe tests that check over 100 items.
What is often overlooked when it comes to properties with wells is the unknown history of the property and surrounding properties. Was there ever an underground storage tank for heating fuel? Did someone bury an old car battery on the property or throw away the oil from an oil change? Was the land or surrounding land used for agriculture? Additionally, there are many natural chemicals underground that can contaminate well water. Did you know that well water can contain radon?
Basic tests start at $150 and deluxe tests cost upwards of $325. Also keep in mind that you need to ensure that the testing contingency is long enough for the test you want. Please allow 2-3 business days for the lab for basic tests and 10-12 business days for deluxe tests.
question: We plan to sell our house this summer. Currently, the hot water tank needs to be replaced. Is there a difference between installing a 40 gallon tank or a 50 gallon tank to sell?
answer: Most people prefer a 50-gallon tank. But on the other hand, I've been selling homes for about 26 years and I've never had a buyer not buy a home because it had a 40-gallon hot water tank.
Market updates
Here are December market updates for the Macomb and Oakland County housing markets (homes and condo sales). In Macomb County, the average sales price increased by more than 5%, and in Oakland County, the average sales price increased by more than 6%. Month. Macomb County's market inventory decreased by almost 36%, and Oakland County's market inventory decreased by more than 28%. Macomb County's average days on market was 31 days, and Oakland County's average days on market was 30 days. Macomb County's closed sales were down nearly 8%, and Oakland County's closed sales were down 7%. Closed sales continue to decline as a direct result of continued inventory shortages. Demand remains high. (All comparisons are monthly and yearly.)
According to the long-standing historical definition by the National Association of Realtors, which has been around since 1908, a buyer's market is when there is more than seven months' worth of inventory on the market. A balanced market between buyers and sellers is when there is six months' worth of inventory. A seller's market is when the supply of inventory is less than 5 months' worth. Inventory continues to be low. Michigan's inventory in December was 1.9 months' supply. Macomb County's inventory had a 1.4-month supply, and Oakland County's inventory had a 1.5-month supply. As you can see, it's not a buyer's market by definition.
Steve Meyers is a Realtor/Realtor with RE/MAX First in Shelby Twp. He is also a member of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame. If you have any questions, please contact us at 586-997-5480 or Steve@MeyersRealtor.com. You can also visit his website: AnswersToRealEstateQuestions.com.
