For the record, I do mainly rural areas, most homes are on septic. I put a copy of the original septic permit, their map of field lines, location of tank etc. as a separate exhibit in my reports, because it is easy to look up online in my state. Many of the agents say it can't be found, because they never bother to look it up. If I am not able to find the septic permit record using a property owner's or builder's name, I put the website and email from the state in the report for the lender to request the record for the subsurface sewage disposal system. I state that I am not a licensed sanitary engineer within the report. I don't do FHA except if one of my VA assignments changes (has happened a couple of times). I do not measure distance between septic and well because I lack that expertise and I don't have LIDAR capability. I only call for a system repair/replacement if I see an obvious sign of failure (and you know it when you see it). Many years ago, I used to take the assessor information and listing information into consideration, but they are not usually up to date. We have new subdivisions with STEP systems due to all the limestone here. I detail all that as well as define it for the Lender and note if the HOA is in charge or if the public utility maintains it now. However, any AMC is going for the cheapest, fastest, appraisal they can get, and you as a borrower do not get the level of expertise you are entitled to with an AMC keeping half of your appraisal fee that YOU paid for. For that, I am very sorry for you. Cheapest and fastest will never equal quality work. You get what you pay for, or you should anyway.
