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. Get the price for the inspection and any pump-out quoted when you book. NHDES calls pumping about once every three years a best practice (NHDES guidance for buyers and realtors), so ask when the tank was last pumped. 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 rule that requires a septic inspection within two years before a sale (Mass.gov Title 5 guide). NH has no statewide Title V equivalent. The one statutory exception is waterfront: a developed property in the protected shoreland needs a septic evaluation before it is sold (NHDES). NH septic design and operating approvals come from the NH Department of Environmental Services, and everywhere else 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 is one of the most expensive repairs a house can need, and the cost depends on soil conditions and whether you need a pump up to a raised field. If the inspection turns up a failed field, get a replacement quote before you decide whether to renegotiate or walk away.

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, and the NH Department of Environmental Services private well program recommends testing for both. Both are common, both are manageable, and both are invisible on a walk-through. Test before you close.

Order a full water panel. It 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. Ask the well contractor whether the measured yield fits a household your size. A good test catches a weak well before you are standing in a dry shower.

Common issues have standard fixes. Arsenic gets a point-of-entry reverse osmosis or adsorption media system. Radon in water gets an aeration system. Iron staining your sinks orange is cosmetic but annoying, and a water softener or iron filter handles it. Bacteria usually gets a UV treatment plus a chlorine shock. Ask a water treatment company to quote the fix before the inspection window closes. 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 inspection contingency gives you a set number of days from acceptance, written into the P&S and negotiable like every other term. 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 with its own deadline, also written into the P&S. 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 comes from the NAR settlement practice changes, which require a written agreement with the buyer before touring (NAR settlement FAQ). It spells out what I get paid and by whom. It is short, it is plain English, and it is covered on my buyer representation page.

Registering your car, and where NH inspections stand

This is the thing every MA transplant asks about in the first month. New Hampshire gives new residents 60 days from establishing residency to register their vehicles and get a NH driver's license (NH DMV). Registration is two stops: the town clerk for the town portion, then the state DMV for the state portion and your plates.

The inspection sticker is the part that changed. A 2025 state law set the annual vehicle inspection program to end in January 2026, a federal court case followed, and as of October 2026 the NH DMV inspections page says the program is suspended until further notice, so no annual state inspection is required right now. The State has appealed, and the rules can change quickly, so I check that page with every buyer the week they register.

What to watch for on an older car either way: frame rust. If you drove the same car through Massachusetts winters for years with no rust-proofing, have a mechanic look at the undercarriage once you arrive.

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.

Three patterns come up again and again on first-time buyer deals. A lot that is nonconforming on the side-yard setback, so a planned detached garage needs relief the zoning board can refuse. A town minimum lot size for a detached ADU, so an in-law apartment plan fails on acreage. A lot the listing calls "level and usable" that carries a conservation easement, so the backyard shed lands in a no-build zone. The state ADU rules changed in 2025, and my HB 577 explainer covers what towns can and cannot require now.

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 assessment in Windham at the 2025 total rate of $14.15 per thousand (NH DRA 2025 Municipal Tax Rates) is $8,490 a year in property tax, or about $708 a month on top of principal, interest, and insurance. The same assessment in Derry ($18.99) is $11,394 a year, about $950 a month. The property tax calculator runs this for any town and price. 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, starting with Windham and Derry.

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