Last checked: October 22, 2026

Selling a home with a well: a guide for real estate agents

A private well adds steps to a sale: a water test, a look at the well and its records, sometimes a state-required test, and lender conditions. Surprises tend to show up late, inside the inspection window. This guide gives listing and buyer's agents a sourced overview to share with clients, plus a printable checklist. It isn't legal advice; your state's forms, your broker and a real estate attorney have the final word.

For listing agents: what to suggest to sellers

1. Order a pre-listing water test from a state-certified lab, so problems show up before a buyer's test does. Start with what CDC recommends every year (total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH)¹ plus what's common locally (see which tests). In states that require a sale test, follow that state's rules and timing (see state rules).
2. Ask the seller not to shock the well or change filters right before a buyer's sample, and to tell the buyer if they have. Buyers are often advised to ask.
3. Gather records: the well log (construction report), sealing records, water test reports, and repair and maintenance records. That's the list Minnesota's health department gives.⁴ Add treatment equipment details and service dates, and any permits. Well logs are often in a state database; see where to find well logs.
4. Fix obvious wellhead issues with a licensed well contractor: a cracked or loose cap, cracked casing, or settled soil around the casing are common defects Minnesota lists.⁴ Minnesota also requires the casing to stay at least 12 inches above ground.⁴
5. Look for other wells. Old unused wells are a common issue on older and farm properties. In Minnesota the seller must disclose all known wells and their status before signing.⁶ See finding old wells.
6. Disclose. Use your state's disclosure form. Several ask specifically about the well: Maine's disclosure must include the water system type, malfunctions, the date of the most recent water test, and any unsatisfactory test or PFAS detection;⁵ New York's form asks whether water quality or flow rate has been tested;⁹ Wisconsin's condition report asks about known well defects.²⁰
7. Have the system ready to show: wellhead accessible, pressure tank and treatment equipment visible, and the paperwork in one folder.

For buyer's agents: what to suggest to buyers

1. Make the offer contingent on a water test and a well inspection, with a deadline, a negotiation period and a right to void the contract if the parties can't agree. A Northern Virginia REALTOR® association addendum is one published example of this structure.⁸ Use your state's form.
2. Include quantity, not just quality. A well can pass every water test and still not supply enough water. Minnesota's health department suggests having the well and water system evaluated for quantity.⁴ New York's health department estimates peak household demand at about 5 gallons per minute and says a well yielding under 0.5 gpm isn't recommended.¹⁰
3. Use a licensed well professional. In Wisconsin, anyone who inspects a well for pay at a property transfer must be a licensed well driller or pump installer.²¹ Virginia's health department recommends a licensed water well service provider for a well inspection.¹⁸
4. Order more than the lender asks for. Virginia's health department notes EPA's caution that lender tests protect the loan and "may not be comprehensive evaluations of well water quality."¹⁸
5. Test the raw and treated water if there's treatment, so the buyer knows what they'd drink and what the system has to handle.
6. Ask the seller the questions in our buyer guide: well log, every past test, repairs, treatment, other wells, shared well agreements, septic location. See questions to ask the seller.

Which tests to order

• Every well: total coliform bacteria (with E. coli) and nitrate. CDC recommends yearly testing for total coliform, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH.¹ Many lenders require bacteria, nitrate and lead at a minimum, according to Virginia's health department.¹⁸
• Add what's common locally, such as arsenic, radon or uranium in crystalline-bedrock areas, arsenic and manganese in parts of the Midwest, and VOCs near fuel tanks or industry. Our regional test table has sourced examples, and our state pages list state recommendations.
• Who samples: New Jersey requires sale samples to be collected by a certified sampler or a certified lab's representative,⁷ and VA appraiser guidance requires testing by a disinterested third party.¹⁷ Elsewhere, letting the lab or a licensed professional collect the sample avoids disputes.

Lender rules: FHA and VA

• FHA: HUD's guidance says individual wells no longer need automatic testing unless the state or locality requires it, contamination is suspected, or the water relies on a purification system; the lender may still require testing. Where testing is required and the locality has no standard, EPA's maximum contaminant levels apply.³
• FHA distances: HUD's minimum for new construction is 50 feet from a septic tank and 100 feet from the drain field; an existing property can qualify with smaller distances if it meets local rules.³ An off-site (shared) well needs recorded rights and a maintenance agreement.³
• VA: VA's appraiser training says all water testing must be done by a disinterested third party, and lists dug wells among the water sources a veteran must acknowledge in writing.¹⁷
• Conventional loans: requirements vary by lender. Minnesota's health department says many lenders require a test, typically for coliform bacteria and nitrate.⁴

Confirm current requirements with the lender early. These summaries come from the HUD and VA documents cited, which may be updated.

State rules at sale

Only a few states require a well test at sale. From the states we've researched (details and more states in the buyer guide's state table):

State hubs with local contacts and testing advice: Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. Always check county and town rules too.

A simple timeline

1. Before listing: seller gathers records, orders a water test, fixes wellhead issues, completes the disclosure. In a sale-testing state, check when the official test must happen (for example, Oregon's test comes after an offer is accepted).¹²
2. Offer: buyer includes water test and well inspection contingencies with deadlines.
3. Inspection window: book the lab and well professional right away. Lab turnaround takes time, and a positive bacteria result usually means disinfecting and retesting, which needs more days.
4. Negotiation: if results are bad, the parties can agree on a fix, a credit, a retest or cancellation. Wisconsin's DNR says buyer and seller can negotiate whether to correct a problem, and a lender may require it.²¹
5. Before closing: confirm the lender's water conditions are met, results are recent enough for the lender and the state, and any required forms (like Minnesota's Well Disclosure Certificate) are ready.⁴

Common deal-killers

• A positive coliform or E. coli result with no time left to disinfect and retest. MDH says to disinfect and retest, and to have a licensed contractor inspect if coliform persists.⁴
• Low yield discovered late, with no room for storage or a new well in the budget.¹⁰
• Contaminants above a state or lender limit (for example arsenic, nitrate, uranium) and no agreement on who pays for treatment.
• An unused or improperly sealed old well that has to be sealed before closing, where the state requires it.⁴
• A dug well or well pit that a lender or buyer won't accept.¹⁷⁴
• A shared well with no recorded agreement (FHA requires one).³
• A septic system too close to the well under local rules.³
• Results that are too old for the lender or state.⁷

Who to call

• Water test: a state-certified lab (our state and county pages list or link them).
• Well inspection, flow test, wellhead repairs, sealing old wells: a licensed well contractor or pump installer. The InterNACHI and ASHI home inspection standards exclude the well; see our guide for home inspectors. Find licensed pros and certified labs in our directory.
• Reading the results: the local health department, and our free Well Test Results Checker and guide to reading results.

Printable client checklist

Related guides

• Homes with a private well: a guide for home inspectors
• Buying a home with a well
• If your property already has a well
• Your well system explained
• How often to test a private well