Buying a house in Medford MA: pre-offer checklist (permits, flood, lead)

This is general information, not legal advice. Talk to a Massachusetts real estate attorney before you sign anything.

Every house has a catch. In Medford, the catch often shows up in an older permit file, a Mystic River / wetlands edge the listing soft-pedals, a pre-1978 lead packet, or a binding Offer to Purchase signed before those records are in hand (McCarthy v. Tobin, 429 Mass. 84).

This guide is a buyer-sided Medford MA home buyer checklist for houses, two-families, and small multifamilies (with condo pointers): which city records to pull, what flood and Conservation Commission questions to ask, and copy-paste questions to use before you bid. Statewide rules live in the linked pillars — this page adds Medford-specific places to look.

Medford stock: older housing, river edges, transit-area change

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-year estimates for Medford, Massachusetts (table B25034, Year Structure Built) report 25,587 housing units, of which 12,498 (49%) were built 1939 or earlier, and 19,422 (76%) were built before 1980 (sum of the 1939-or-earlier through 1970-to-1979 buckets). Treat any listing that may be pre-1978 as a lead-law deal until the assessor year and transfer packet say otherwise. (Figures via Census Reporter’s Medford profile.)

On building type (ACS B25024, Units in Structure), 8,648 units (34%) are 1-unit detached, 1,712 (7%) are 1-unit attached, and 6,929 (27%) are in 2-unit structures — a mix where permit history, shared walls, and condo conversions all show up on the catch list.

Practical takeaway: a Medford pre-offer checklist is mostly permits + year built + lead, plus flood / Conservation near the Mystic and other resource areas, and tax-rate / assessment questions that belong on the same weekend as the Offer to Purchase.

Competitive offers: the OTP can bind you before the packet arrives

Medford listings can move on a short clock. In Massachusetts, a signed and accepted Offer to Purchase can bind you before the home inspection, lead inspection window, and condo PDFs are done. Read Is an Offer to Purchase binding in Massachusetts? before you waive exits to “win.”

Keep, at minimum:

• A real home inspection contingency (see M.G.L. c. 143, § 101 / 760 CMR 74 for covered residential sales — do not treat a waiver as routine advice)
• A lead contingency and notification package on any pre-1978 home
• A condo document review contingency if the property is a condominium

Pair this page with the statewide questions before making an offer list.

Public records to pull before you bid

1. Year built and property characteristics — Use the Assessor’s Property Database (linked from the Assessor’s Office) and the city’s AxisGIS map. Confirm year built, living area, unit count / use, and ownership history against the listing. If the year is 1977 or earlier — or unclear — treat lead rules as in play.
2. Building permits — Medford’s Building Department is the custodian of building records and states that building applications must be submitted online; search past and present permits through the city’s Citizenserve portal (Building Department “apply here / search”). The department’s FAQ quotes the State Building Code rule that it is unlawful to construct, reconstruct, alter, repair, remove, or demolish a structure (with limited ordinary-repair exceptions) without filing and obtaining the required permit. Before offering, look for open or recent permits that may mean unfinished renovations or unpermitted work.
3. Property tax rate — For the certified residential (and commercial) rate Medford is currently using in the state DLS table, see Massachusetts property tax rates by town 2026 — Medford. The Assessor’s Office also publishes the city’s own fiscal-year residential and commercial rates on its department page. Rate × assessed value is only a starting point — confirm the parcel’s assessment and any exemptions or CPA surcharge with the assessor.
4. Lead Safe Homes — Search the state’s Lead Safe Homes databases for prior inspections and compliance letters.

Flood, wetlands, and Conservation Commission questions

Do not rely on neighborhood vibe. Look up the exact parcel on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center and note the zone (and any base flood elevation if shown). Federally backed mortgages in a Special Flood Hazard Area typically require flood insurance even if the seller never carried it.

Medford’s Conservation Commission administers the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act (M.G.L. c. 131, § 40), the Rivers Protection Act, and the city’s Wetlands Ordinance (Chapter 87). The commission reviews projects that may alter wetlands, floodplains, rivers, streams, ponds, lakes, and associated buffer zones or riverfront areas. Filing guidance on that page asks applicants to delineate wetlands, the 100 foot buffer, the 200 foot Riverfront Area where applicable, and the 100 year floodplain. Near the Mystic River or other mapped resource areas, ask whether prior Orders of Conditions, Requests for Determination, or Certificates of Compliance exist — and whether planned outdoor work would need Conservation review.

The city’s Hazard Mitigation Plan page is also worth a skim for how Medford frames local flood and hazard planning — it is not a substitute for a parcel-level FEMA lookup or a flood-insurance quote.

Lead, oil tanks, and older electrical stock

Massachusetts requires the Property Transfer Lead Paint Notification package before a purchase-and-sale agreement on covered pre-1978 homes (M.G.L. c. 111, § 197A). You generally have at least 10 days after notification to conduct a lead inspection if you choose. Full detail: Massachusetts lead paint law for buyers.

On older Medford stock, also ask early about:

• Buried or removed heating-oil tanks — underground oil tanks before an offer
• Live knob-and-tube or partial rewires that affect insurability — knob-and-tube wiring before an offer

If it is a Medford condo

Use the statewide packet in Massachusetts condo documents before an offer and the money/risk lens in condo special assessments in Massachusetts:

• Master deed, plans, bylaws/trust, rules
• Budget, reserves, special assessment history and pending bids
• Master insurance declarations and deductibles
• Minutes, litigation, parking/storage assignments
• Draft or recent M.G.L. c. 183A, § 6(d) unpaid common expense statement

Nearby context: Somerville condo buying checklist and Arlington house checklist for how neighboring markets phrase the same weekend homework.

Copy-paste questions (listing side)

1. Please confirm the Assessor Property Database year built, living area, style, and property use for this address, and share a printout of the property record card.
2. Please provide the complete Property Transfer Lead Paint Notification and Certification Form before we sign a P&S, plus every lead inspection, Letter of Compliance, or Letter of Interim Control you have.
3. Have you searched Lead Safe Homes 1.0 and 2.0 for this property? Please share what you found (or confirm no records).
4. Will any child under six live in this home after closing? If yes, what is the plan and timeline for interim control or full compliance after title?
5. We request at least a 10-day lead inspection contingency (or longer as agreed) with a licensed inspector of our choosing, plus a home inspection contingency — please confirm the seller will not require waivers as a condition of considering our offer.
6. Please list open or recent building, electrical, plumbing, and gas permits for this property (including through Medford’s Citizenserve portal), and any known unpermitted work.
7. What is the FEMA flood zone for this parcel? Has the seller ever carried flood insurance, filed a flood claim, or experienced basement / yard water entry?
8. Is any part of the lot in a wetland, buffer zone, or riverfront area subject to Medford Conservation Commission jurisdiction? Please share any Orders of Conditions, Determinations, or Certificates of Compliance.
9. Is there (or was there) an underground heating-oil tank on the property? Please provide permits, removal records, and any soil results.
10. Has an insurer or electrician flagged knob-and-tube or other older wiring? Please share any written scopes or quotes.
11. Does the Assessor card match the listing for bedrooms, bathrooms, and finished areas? Which spaces are permitted as living area?
12. What parking, storage, yard, or exclusive-use areas convey, and where is that written?

Copy-paste questions (your attorney / buyer’s agent)

13. Given short offer windows, how do we keep OTP language binding-aware without stripping lead, inspection, flood-insurance, and (if condo) document-review exits?
14. Any red flags in permits, Assessor year built, lead history, Conservation filings, or flood-zone mapping that change price or whether we bid at all?
15. If the listing implies an ADU, in-law, or two-family conversion, what city records must we see before treating that as real?

FAQ

How do I check Medford building permits?

Medford’s Building Department requires building applications to be filed online. Use the city’s Citizenserve portal (Building Department “apply here,” then search) for past and present permits — building, plumbing & gas, electrical, and related trades.

Is Medford in a flood zone?

There is no single citywide answer. Look up the exact parcel on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center. Near the Mystic River and other resource areas, also ask whether the lot sits in a wetland, 100 foot buffer, 200 foot Riverfront Area, or 100 year floodplain that Medford’s Conservation Commission reviews under the Wetlands Protection Act and the city’s Wetlands Ordinance (Chapter 87).

What should Medford condo buyers request?

The same statewide packet: master deed, plans, bylaws/rules, budget and reserves, special assessment history, master insurance, minutes/litigation, parking/storage assignments, and a draft or recent M.G.L. c. 183A, § 6(d) unpaid common expense statement. Start with Massachusetts condo documents before an offer and condo special assessments.

How does a binding Offer to Purchase affect Medford deals?

In Massachusetts, a signed and accepted OTP can bind you before inspections and condo PDFs are done (McCarthy v. Tobin). Keep lead, home inspection, and (if condo) document-review exits in writing — see Is an Offer to Purchase binding in Massachusetts?.

How Fyts fits

We are building a Massachusetts catch list so buyers can put the right questions — permits, flood, lead, oil tanks, contract exits — in front of the offer. Medford competition does not erase those questions; it makes the list shorter and earlier. Nearby: Somerville condo guide · Arlington house guide.

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