Why You Should Complete the Well Test When the Home Is First Listed

Don’t make well certification test the reason your home (or your client's home) doesn’t sell. The NJDEP-PWTA test is small requirement for selling real estate in New Jersey that can sometimes be overlooked until the end of the process, but putting it off can have disastrous consequences.

Due to the time required to take the test, get results, and potentially install a treatment system, many buyers just won’t wait. Even worse, a failing result could mean that a buyer won’t be able to get financing.

Your best bet is to make sure that your client is prepared and gets the test done well in advance. Why is this beneficial?

• Doing it early will keep you from scaring away potential buyers who find out (along with you) during the inspection.
  
  
• You have more time to make corrections if something is found to be wrong. In some cases, fixing the problem only costs a few dollars.
  
  
• Because of the extra time, sellers will spend less by avoiding rush fees for inspections and installations. 
  
  
• You can’t get the required Certificate of Occupancy (CO) until passing the well test.
  
  
• Passing well test results can be a selling point for buyers because they know they won’t have to worry about the water – you can even include it in the listing!

Once the test is done, the results are good for an entire year, so your client doesn’t have to worry about it for two whole selling seasons. The only exception is when the bacteria needs to be retested at six months, but as long as it passes, you’ve got another six months ahead of you.