My prospective Woodbury home was built in the late 1980s or early 1990s. Could it have polybutylene plumbing?

Possibly, and it's worth checking. Polybutylene supply piping was widely installed in homes built roughly between 1978 and 1995, which overlaps with Woodbury's earliest wave of growth, so homes from the late 1980s and early-to-mid 1990s are the ones to scrutinize. Polybutylene is usually gray, sometimes blue or black, plastic piping found at the water heater, near the main shutoff, and at fixtures. The concern is that it can become brittle over time and fail, sometimes without warning, causing significant water damage, and some insurers are wary of it. An inspector will note visible polybutylene and recommend further evaluation, but because much piping runs inside walls, visible sections only tell part of the story. If found, many owners eventually repipe with copper or modern PEX. Newer Woodbury homes from the late 1990s onward generally avoided polybutylene, so age is your first clue. To have your plumbing materials identified, build a free instant quote online.