The Lack of 5 Feet Shattered a First-Time Home Buyer's Dream

Once there was a couple who fell in love with a lovely split-level home in rural but convenient town in Connecticut.

The property has been cared for by the owners for 53 years. This is the owners first home. Within the walls of this domain, four children were nurtured here. And it was also here when the parents saw them left one by one to trudge the world on their own.

The level backyard backs up to the woods where the sounds of nature’s creatures float in the air.

The first-time home buyers made an offer on my listing a week after it came up on the market. The buyers and the sellers reached an amicable agreement on the offer and on the succeeding home inspection.

However, the lender rejected the mortgage because the appraiser noted that the distance between the well and the septic is only 45 feet. It was a USDA loan and they could not get an exception.

Unfortunately, the buyers could not afford to use any other type of financing other than USDA.

We tried to unearth another option by suggesting a well relocation. But the amount will be cost prohibitive to both the buyers and the sellers.

The sellers were also not too keen about having to relocate the well as they had it drilled 300 feet below the ground. Even without a filtration system in place, the well water test past with flying color.

Five feet was all it took for a transaction to fail. It was unfortunate because according to the buyers’ agent, these first-time home buyers do love the house. They even tried to ask money from the relatives in their last ditch attempt to either contribute more towards the well relocation or to seek another loan program.

Well and septic distance. I can understand the health concern from the authorities. But if the well water came out fine and it is tested regularly for harmful elements, why should it be a problem?

USDA loan is an excellent loan program but it only prevented the buyers from owning their dream home.

What a travesty!