Commentary • January 19, 2024

Sewer vs Septic: The Full Poop

Recently, a client shared with me that a friend advised them to avoid homes on septic and to only buy a home with a public sewer connection.

I’ll be blunt: That is terrible advice. With inventory so low, to disqualify such a high number of possible homes is a disservice to oneself. For regular people without some specific need (like running a laundromat out of your basement? Nothing comes to mind), there is essentially no difference. There is data published that says Septic is better for a home’s value, and data that claims that a sewer connection is better for value. Again, you use the bathroom, you flush, you go about your day.

Septic is arguably better for the environment, as natural decomposition is preferable to the chemical treatments that sewer systems use for black and gray water. You have to pay for sewer taxes, but every few years you have to have your septic tank pumped.

Both are problematic if you flush something down the toilet that shouldn’t be flushed, like a tampon or stuffed toy. I’ve owned both personally, and while most of Westchester is on sewer (Trivia: I sold a house in YONKERS once that was on septic), plenty, especially the north side of the county, has septic more often. Again, s ling as what goes down the drain is what should go down the drain, it really makes no difference.

I expound on this a bit more on video if you want to hear the above thoughts in a more nasal voice.