All around the edges of the City of Lake Oswego, the neighborhoods have grown to absorb rural land. There is quite a bit of unincorporated Clackamas and Multnomah Counties with Lake Oswego Addresses.
The biggest difference is that rural homes don’t have city sewer and water. Instead, they have wells and septic systems. This means that when you do inspections of the property, it needs to include testing of the well and investigation of the septic system.
When testing the well you will want to do two tests, one for water flow and one for water quality. A good well needs to be able to supply 600 gallons within a two hour period for use within a home. This is about 5 gallons per minute.
As far as water quality, what is typically tested for are nitrites, coliform bacteria, and arsenic. Lead is also commonly tested for.
The buyer usually pays for all tests associated with the water.
When inspecting the septic system the seller pays to have the tank pumped and then the buyer pays for an inspection to be done while the tank is empty. Further inspection can be done of the drainfield, if the buyer elects to take the inspection one step further.
Living on land is really appealing to people right now and properties on land are in high demand. Please let Linda or I know if you have any questions on this subject. We are here to help.
Dianne
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