Buying a home in Southern NH, step by step.
Buying a home in Southern NH runs in six steps once you find the house: the Purchase and Sale Agreement (P&S), the home inspection, the well test, the septic inspection, the appraisal and the closing with a closing attorney or title company. Here is each one in plain English, in the order it happens.
The six steps
From the first tour to the keys.
Purchase and Sale Agreement (P&S)
This is the main contract. It names the price, the deposit, the closing date, the contingencies, and the inclusions. In NH the P&S is usually written on a standard NHAR form. I walk you through every clause before you initial it.
Home inspection
Ten business days is typical. A NH home inspector walks the roof, the systems, the foundation, and reports in writing. We go over the report together and decide which items to ask for, which to let go, and which to use to renegotiate price.
Well test
Most Southern NH homes outside town centers are on private wells. A standard well test checks bacteria, nitrates, arsenic, radon in water, and flow rate. We require this in the P&S. If the numbers come back wrong, we negotiate a treatment system or a credit.
Septic inspection
If the home is on septic (common outside town sewer zones), you want a dye test or a Title 5-equivalent inspection. We flag tank age, leach field condition, and last pump-out. A failing septic is a $20,000 to $40,000 negotiation line item.
Appraisal
Your lender orders the appraisal once the inspection contingency is cleared. If the appraisal comes in low, we have three paths: ask the seller to lower the price, contest the appraisal with comps, or bring additional cash. I have done all three.
Closing
NH closings are done by a closing attorney or title company. We review the closing disclosure 72 hours before signing, I flag any math that looks off, and we close. Keys, deed, and a new mailbox. Plan an hour for the signing appointment.
The shortlist method
Your shortlist, pulled by hand.
Send me your town, budget, and must-haves. I pull the MLS by hand, including off-market homes and coming-soons Zillow does not publish, and within 24 hours you see the 5 to 10 homes that actually fit.
Common worries
The six questions every buyer actually has.
How much house can I actually afford?
Mortgage calculators are optimistic. We back into affordability from monthly take-home, property tax escrow, insurance, and a realistic reserve. In Southern NH, plan on 28% of gross for principal, interest, tax, and insurance on a 30-year fixed.
Will I overpay in a bidding war?
Multi-offer situations happen in Windham and Londonderry especially. I show you the recent sold comps, the list-to-sale ratio, and the days on market for the street. You always know the ceiling before you write the offer.
What if the inspection uncovers something bad?
That is what the inspection contingency is for. We either renegotiate the price, ask for repairs, or walk away with the deposit intact. I have walked three deals in the last year over inspection findings. It is a feature of the process, not a failure.
What will my NH property tax bill look like?
Every town's mill rate is different. I pull the current assessment and the certified rate before you go under contract. You see a full-year estimate, not a guess. The /tax-calculator page on this site has the math if you want a first pass.
Will you actually answer my texts?
Yes. Evenings, weekends, the stretch between offer and close. The single loudest complaint in online agent reviews is post-signing silence, so I keep you posted at every step until the keys are in your hand.
Is the MA to NH commute really worth it?
I run the real numbers with you before you fall for a house. Drive time from Salem, Windham, or Londonderry to the 93 ramp, the actual rush-hour minutes to Boston, and what you save on NH having no income or sales tax. Most of my relocating buyers find the math works in their favor, and I show them exactly where.
Start the search
Thirty minutes on a call beats an hour on Zillow.
Tell me the town, the budget, and the must-haves. I will tell you whether what you want actually exists in Southern NH at that price, and what we do if it does not.