Purchasing a new house is probably one of the more stressful things of life.
In fact, selling your home is also stressful.
When you are a buyer, you are always worried that there will be some unforeseen problem that will end up costing you more money right away. Remember that movie The Money Pit? If you are selling your home, you have to listen to potential buyers nitpick your house apart, when you have loved it all these years, and you also live in fear that something terrible will happen before you can get the thing sold. Well, if you are selling and your HVAC system is old, you simply must be willing to negotiate on asking price. Buyers, beware of a heating and cooling system that is more than six or seven years old. HVAC systems are the most costly appliances to repair or replace, so even if the home you are looking at is pristine and perfectly heated and cooled while you are there looking, be sure to ask how old the heating and cooling system is. In the case of central heating and cooling, you have not only the unit itself to think about, but also the ductwork. By law, the seller must disclose how old the a/c and furnace are. If they don’t know because it is still the same one that was there when they moved in, be cautious. If they lived in the house ten years and are still using the same heating and cooling, it has to be at least ten years old, right? Don’t let your common sense run away because you love a certain house. You must negotiate a better sales price if the a/c in your dream home is more than six or seven years old.