What documents do condos require that single-family homes don't?

Condos require an HOA resale certificate/package that can exceed 100 pages and includes CC&Rs, HOA reserve study, financial statements, bylaws, board meeting minutes, and master deed. Single-family homes without HOAs don't need any of these documents.

How do I know if a property needs agricultural-specific documentation?

Check the legal description and zoning in the purchase agreement. If it mentions agricultural use, farm parcels, water rights, irrigation, or grazing rights, you'll need specialized documentation including water rights certificates, well permits, and potentially separate bills of sale for equipment.

What's the difference between vacant land requirements and developed property requirements?

Vacant land requires a survey (almost always when financed), perc test if no sewer access ($300-$1,000), zoning verification, utility availability confirmation, and wetlands/flood zone checks. Developed properties typically don't need perc tests or utility verification since infrastructure already exists.

Do townhomes have the same requirements as condos?

Similar but not identical. Townhomes usually have lower HOA fees because owners maintain their own exteriors and own the land beneath their unit. However, you still need HOA documents including bylaws, financial statements, and meeting minutes. Condos have more extensive HOA oversight and typically larger resale packages.

What additional items do multi-family properties need?

Multi-family properties require a rent roll (showing all tenants and rental income), copies of all active tenant leases, security deposit records, lease audit details, and a property condition assessment (PCA). Lenders underwrite these based on rental income, so documentation must be thorough.

How do I handle properties with wells or septic systems?

Requirements vary by loan type. FHA and VA loans require well water testing and septic inspections. Conventional loans often don't require them unless lenders request it. Check your state rules—Massachusetts requires septic inspections within 2 years of sale, while Wisconsin has no state requirement but lenders often require it anyway.

What documents do coastal properties require that inland properties don't?

Coastal properties typically require flood certification, flood insurance documentation, and potentially coastal erosion studies. If the property is in a FEMA-designated flood zone, lenders will require flood insurance, which adds documentation to your checklist.

Can one transaction have multiple property types like a home with agricultural land?

Yes, and this is where static checklists really break down. A home on agricultural land requires both residential documentation AND agricultural-specific items like water rights certificates, well permits, and equipment bills of sale. You need the combined requirements of both property types.

Why Your Transaction Checklist Keeps Missing Property-Specific Requirements

You want to open a file, see exactly which documents you need for *this specific property type*, and never have a title company call asking "Where are the HOA documents?" two weeks into a condo transaction.

But here's what actually happens: You're using the same checklist for every deal. Condos, single-family homes, vacant land, farms=same list. It works fine for standard residential transactions. Then you get a condo, and two weeks in, the title company calls asking for CC&Rs, reserve study, HOA financials, and board meeting minutes. None of those items were on your checklist.

Or you close a piece of vacant land and find out the day before closing that the lender needs a perc test (something you could've ordered three weeks ago if you'd known).

The problem isn't that you're bad at your job. The problem is that you're using a one-size-fits-all checklist for property types that have completely different requirements.

The Problem with One-Size-Fits-All Checklists

You've probably got a solid checklist. It covers purchase agreements, disclosures, title work, inspection reports, all the basics. But here's what happens: each property type has completely different documentation requirements. By the time you realize something's missing, you're scrambling to get documents that should've been ordered two weeks ago. Title companies know immediately when you're working from a generic list. So do lenders. And they're not shy about kicking files back until you get it right.

The frustrating part? These aren't "nice to have" items. They're deal requirements. Miss them, and closings get delayed. Period.

What Actually Changes Between Property Types

Let's break down what you actually need for different property types—because the differences are bigger than most people realize.

Condos and Townhomes

When you're closing a condo, you need the HOA resale certificate or resale package. This isn't a one-page document. It can include 19 separate items and easily run over 100 pages. Here's what's typically inside:

CC&Rs (Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions) that spell out every rule and restriction for the property.
The HOA reserve study, which is legally required and shows the financial health of the association over the next 5-20 years.
HOA financial statements and budget (lenders want to see that the association is solvent).
HOA bylaws, board meeting minutes, master deed, and articles of incorporation.

Buyers typically have a statutory window (often five days) to review this package and back out if they don't like what they see. Miss delivering it on time, and you've got a problem.

Townhomes are slightly different because owners typically maintain their own exteriors and HOA fees are lower, but you still need most of these documents. The key distinction: townhome owners usually own the land beneath their unit, while condo owners don't.

Vacant Land and Lots

If you're closing vacant land, your checklist looks completely different. Banks almost always require a survey when financing land purchases. You'll need a percolation test (perc test) if the property doesn't have access to municipal sewer, this test costs $300-$1,000 and determines if the soil can support a septic system. Fail the perc test, and the buyer might not be able to build at all.

You also need zoning verification showing what the land can be used for (residential, commercial, agricultural). Don't assume, check it! Utility availability confirmation is critical too. Can they get water, electricity, gas to the property? What about legal access? If the lot is landlocked, you need easement documentation.

Add in wetlands verification, flood zone checks, and you've got a completely different document stack than a typical home sale.

Agricultural Properties and Farms

Agricultural properties bring a whole new level of complexity. Water rights documentation is critical, and here's the kicker: title insurance does NOT cover water rights. You need well permits with the permit number and date issued. If there are ditch shares or irrigation rights, those require separate certificates that physically change hands at closing. Decree numbers for water rights approved by state water courts.

The purchase agreement needs to explicitly state whether water rights, grazing rights, mineral rights, and existing crops are included in the sale. Equipment and fixtures require a separate bill of sale. Easement documents for any access or water usage by third parties.

This is specialized enough that most real estate attorneys recommend consulting a water rights attorney for agricultural transactions. Miss the water rights documentation, and you might be selling land that can't actually be farmed.

Multi-Family Properties

When you're closing a duplex, triplex, or apartment building, you're buying the rent roll and the income that comes with it. The rent roll is the single most critical document. It shows every tenant, their rent amount, lease start and end dates, and security deposits held.

But you also need copies of all active tenant leases, a lease audit showing any late payments or discounts, security deposit records proving funds are held properly, and a property condition assessment (PCA) that estimates maintenance costs.

Lenders scrutinize these deals carefully because they're underwriting based on rental income, not just the buyer's personal finances. Missing tenant documentation can tank the whole deal.

Properties with Wells or Septic Systems

Whether a property needs well and septic inspections depends on the loan type and state regulations. FHA loans require both well water testing and septic system inspections. VA loans require water quality testing for private wells. Conventional loans usually don't require inspections unless there's an environmental hazard, but many lenders ask for them anyway.

Some states have specific rules. In Massachusetts, septic inspections must occur within two years before a sale. In Wisconsin, there's no state requirement, but lenders often require it regardless.

At minimum, well water should be tested for coliform bacteria (including E. coli), nitrate, and arsenic. Fail the water test, and you're back to square one figuring out water treatment solutions.

Why Static Checklists Can't Keep Up

Think about it: to cover every scenario properly, you'd need 15+ different checklists. CHAOS! One for single-family homes, one for condos, one for townhomes, one for vacant land, one for agricultural with water rights, one for multi-family, one for properties with wells, one for properties with septic, one for coastal properties needing flood certs, one for mountain properties with well inspections...

Most TCs don't handle enough of each property type to remember what's different. And even if you did, new property types keep emerging. What's your checklist for tiny homes? ADUs? Co-ops? Mixed-use properties?

Then you layer in brokerage-specific requirements and lender-specific requirements on top of property-type requirements. The combinations become impossible to manage manually.

The Real Cost of Missing Property-Specific Items

Here's what happens when your checklist doesn't adapt:

Delayed closings while you scramble to get missing documents. The title company won't clear to close until they have everything they need. The lender kicks back the file, potentially resetting approval timelines. The buyer starts questioning whether you know what you're doing. Your broker questions your competence. And you're stressed, working late nights trying to track down documents that should've been ordered at the beginning.

Even one missing item can push a closing back a week. In competitive markets, that week can mean losing the deal entirely.

How AI Handles Property-Specific Requirements

This is exactly why we built Ava to read the actual purchase agreement and adapt automatically. When you upload a contract, Ava identifies the property type from the legal description, parcel information, and property characteristics. It then builds a document checklist that combines property-type requirements, your state's specific rules, and your brokerage standards.

If the property has a well, Ava knows to add well inspection and water testing. If it's a condo, Ava adds the HOA resale package items. If it's agricultural land in Colorado, Ava knows water rights documentation is critical.

As you upload new documents throughout the transaction, Ava adapts. Upload an inspection report that mentions the property has tenants? Ava adds tenant lease documentation to your checklist. Title report shows easements? Ava adds easement documentation requirements.

The system learns from your edits too. If you consistently add a specific document for a certain property type, Ava will suggest it on the next similar transaction.

Want to see how Ava adapts to different property types? Watch a short demo here.

The Bottom Line

If your checklist doesn't change based on whether you're closing a condo versus a farm versus a vacant lot, you're going to miss critical property-specific requirements. The question isn't if, it's when.