First-Time Homebuyer Checklist for Southern NH: Septic, Well, P&S

Septic systems, the one that blows up deals

Septic is the big one. A significant share of the housing stock in Salem's north side, Windham's rural streets, Pelham, Atkinson, and Hampstead is on private septic, not town sewer. If you grew up in Methuen or Andover and always had town sewer, this is new territory.

Here is what happens during the due-diligence window on the P&S. You or your inspector pulls the septic cover, a septic company pumps the tank down, and the inspector confirms the leach field drains the way it should. Expect to pay $400 to $600 for the inspection itself. Budget another $300 to $500 for a pump-out now if the last one was more than three years ago. Tanks should be pumped every three years. A seller who hasn't pumped in seven years is telling you something about how the house has been maintained.

You may hear MA friends talk about "Title V." That's the Massachusetts statute governing septic inspections at sale. NH does not have a Title V equivalent. NH septic rules are set by the Department of Environmental Services, and the inspection at sale is contractual, not statutory. That means the protection you get is whatever your P&S says you get. This is why the inspection contingency language matters, which is covered below.

Signs a system is at end of life: effluent pooling or green grass patches over the leach field, slow drains throughout the house, sewage odor near the tank, pumping needed more than once a year. A full system replacement in Southern NH runs $20,000 to $40,000 depending on soil conditions and whether you need a pump up to a raised field. That is a real number to walk away on if the inspection turns up a failed field.

Well water, test everything, especially arsenic and radon

If the house is on private well, you are the water utility. NH bedrock carries naturally occurring arsenic and radon in water. Both are common, both are manageable, and both are invisible on a walk-through. Test before you close.

A full water panel in NH runs $300 to $500 and should cover bacteria, nitrates, nitrites, lead, manganese, iron, chloride, uranium, arsenic, and radon in water. Do not accept a bacteria-only test. Your lender may only require bacteria and nitrates, but that is a floor, not a ceiling.

Ask for a flow rate test while the well team is there. A flow test measures how many gallons per minute the well can produce under sustained draw. Anything under 3 gallons per minute with a family of four is going to be a daily frustration. A good test catches this before you are standing in a dry shower.

Common issues and their fixes: arsenic gets a point-of-entry reverse osmosis or adsorption media system, roughly $2,500 to $5,000 installed. Radon in water gets an aeration system, roughly $4,000 to $6,000. Iron staining your sinks orange is cosmetic but annoying; a water softener or iron filter handles it for $1,500 to $3,000. Bacteria is usually a simple UV treatment plus a chlorine shock, $1,000 to $2,000. None of this is scary once you know the menu.

If sellers balk at a real panel, that is the signal. Fold the test into the P&S inspection contingency so you have a clean exit if something comes back hot.

The NH purchase and sales agreement, different from the MA form

The NH P&S is not the MA offer-to-purchase plus P&S two-step. In NH, there is typically one document, the Purchase and Sale Agreement, which is the binding contract. A few things to know before you sign.

The standard inspection contingency is usually 10 business days from acceptance, though negotiable up or down. Inside that window you inspect, you test the well, you inspect the septic, you check the radon in air, and you raise any issues in writing. If you and the seller cannot agree on remedy, you get your deposit back through a mutual release. Mutual release is the NH mechanism for unwinding a deal clean, both sides signed, deposit returned. You want this language in your P&S.

The financing contingency is its own clause and has its own deadline, typically 25 to 35 days from acceptance. If your loan falls through inside that window, deposit back. Outside that window, it gets complicated fast.

The title contingency, the deed, the homeowner's insurance binder, and the walk-through within 48 hours of closing are all standard inclusions but worth reading before you sign. Your buyer's agent should walk you through every paragraph. If they hand you a P&S and say "it's standard, sign it," get a different agent. I read every line with every first-time buyer I represent, whether they want me to or not.

One more thing: since August 2024, you will sign a Buyer-Broker Agreement before I can show you a single house. This is new post-NAR-settlement law. It spells out what I get paid and by whom. It is short, it is plain English, and it is covered in my buyer representation page.

The annual NH vehicle safety inspection sticker

This is the thing every MA transplant gets wrong in their first year. It is NOT an emissions test. It is an annual pass-or-fail safety inspection where a garage checks your brakes, tires, lights, windshield, wipers, horn, exhaust, suspension, steering, and the chassis for rust. $40 to $80 at most shops. The yellow sticker on the driver's side windshield has the month printed on it, and if yours is expired, a NH trooper will notice on I-93 in the first week.

Timing: once you register the car in NH at the DMV, you have 10 days to get the inspection done. Put it on the calendar the same week you close. Most local garages do it while you wait; Salem, Windham, and Derry all have shops that turn it around in 30 minutes.

What to watch for on an older car: frame rust is the most common fail. If you drove the same car through a Massachusetts winter for ten years with no rust-proofing, the undercarriage is going to get scrutinized. A fail is not the end of the world. You get a rejection sticker, you fix the issue, you come back within 60 days.

There is no emissions test at all for gas vehicles model year 1995 or earlier. For newer vehicles, the inspection includes an OBD-II scan, which is functionally an emissions check but it is bundled into the safety inspection. You are not paying separately for it.

Town-level zoning, the surprise nobody warns you about

This is the biggest one, and it is invisible on Zillow. Every town in Southern NH has its own zoning ordinance, its own setback rules, its own ADU rules, its own deck and shed rules, its own fence rules. What you can add to a Windham house is not what you can add to a Salem house, and neither matches Pelham.

Before you write the offer, call the town planning office. Ask them three questions: What zone is the property in? What are the setbacks from property lines for any new structure? Are detached ADUs allowed as of right, by special exception, or not at all? Ten minutes on the phone will save you a six-month fight with the planning board.

Real examples I have seen on first-time buyer deals in the last two years. A family bought in Windham thinking they would add a detached garage; the lot was nonconforming on the side-yard setback, and the zoning board said no. A couple bought in Atkinson thinking they would add an in-law apartment for an aging parent; the town required a 2-acre lot for a detached ADU and they had 1.4 acres. A buyer in Salem bought on a lot the MLS called "level and usable" that turned out to be 40% conservation easement, so the backyard shed they wanted to put up was in a no-build zone.

Fence rules. Deck rules. Shed rules over 120 square feet requiring a permit versus under 120 square feet not requiring one. Pool setbacks. Even driveway paving can be regulated in some rural towns. The phrase you want in your head before you make an offer: "what can I actually do with this property." The answer comes from the town, not from Zillow.

If you have specific plans, write them into the inspection contingency. "This offer is contingent on buyer confirming with the town of Windham that a 20x20 detached garage can be permitted on the property within the existing setbacks." Not every seller will accept it, but every first-time buyer should try.

What to do before you even look at a house

Pre-approval first, always. Not a pre-qualification, a real pre-approval with a verified income and asset review. Local NH lenders often out-compete the big national banks on Southern NH deals because they know the septic, well, and condo-warrantability rules and can close on time. I have a short list of three I recommend.

Run the all-in monthly number before you fall in love. Southern NH property taxes are the gotcha. A $600,000 house in Windham at a $19 per thousand equalized rate is roughly $11,400 a year in property tax, or $950 a month on top of principal, interest, and insurance. Your MA friends at the same purchase price are paying less in property tax and more in state income tax. For a full breakdown of how this math works, read my honest guide to moving from MA to Southern NH.

Line up a home inspector who actually works Southern NH regularly. The inspector needs to know septic, well, New England granite ledge, frost line, ice dam patterns, and the quirks of 1970s split-levels with Masonite siding. A Boston inspector driving up for the day is not your best choice.

Sign the Buyer-Broker Agreement with your agent. Under post-NAR-settlement rules this is required before touring. Read it. Ask about the term, the geographic scope, and the termination clause. A good agent will explain all three without being asked.

Decide your towns before you tour. Salem, Windham, Derry, Londonderry, Pelham, Atkinson, and Hampstead all feel different, tax different, and commute different. Narrow to two or three. The neighborhoods page has the real commute, tax, and school data by town.

Know your numbers. Know your towns. Know your contingencies. Then call me.