New Jersey has some of the oldest housing stock in the country, and a lot of it was heated with oil. That history leaves three things behind that a walk-through will never show you: what is under the yard, what is in the air, and what is inside the walls. Here is how we think about each one, and why our Smart Start report flags them before we ever arrive.
Under the yard
Two things live underground that matter enormously and are invisible from the surface.
- The sewer line. Houses built through the mid-1980s often have clay, cast iron or Orangeburg pipe running to the street. A camera down the line shows roots, cracks and bellies before they become a five-figure repair.
- A buried oil tank. Many homes switched from oil to gas and left the tank in the ground. Public records rarely mention it. A sweep of the yard finds it, and it is free with every Smart Choice home inspection.
In the air
Radon is a radioactive gas that seeps up from the ground. Northern New Jersey counties sit in the EPA's highest zone, but a county map is not a reading at your house. Only a 48-hour test tells you the number. Mold is simpler: it follows moisture, so a mold inspection is really a search for where water is getting in.
Inside the walls
Built before 1978? Assume lead paint until it is tested.
About 87% of homes built before 1940 contain lead-based paint, and termites are active in every New Jersey county. Neither shows up in a listing photo.
| Built | Worth a closer look |
|---|---|
| Before 1940 | Lead paint, sewer line, tank sweep |
| 1940 to 1985 | Sewer line, tank sweep, lead if pre-1978 |
| After 1985 | Radon and termites, like every house |
What to do with this
Look up the address before you book. Smart Start reads the tax record, permits, flood map, fire history, water line and radon zone in about a second and tells you which of these checks apply to that specific house. Then book the inspection with the right add-ons already chosen.