Buying an older home generally means getting a really good deal. You get plenty of charming features and lots of character. It can also mean some headaches come with it.
Everybody knows that you have to take the good with the bad but it pays to know what you may need to do when you do buy the house.Yes, you expect to have plenty of expenses from upgrades, but nobody likes surprises.
If you know what some of the expenses will be then you are going in with full knowledge of what to expect. Take HVAC for instance. There are a lot of benefits to having HVAC and it is nice finding a house with it already installed.
You just have to know what you are getting into if it’s old. Here are some things to keep in mind if the house you are buying has HVAC.
Hire a cleaner
An expense you will surely have when you move in is to hire a professional to come and clean your ducts. They can collect dust, germs and other debris that affect how it works as well as your air quality.
Air Duct Cleaning CT are the type of professionals I mean. They will come armed with the right tools and chemicals to sanitize your ducts. It is definitely an expense that is worth it to know it is clean.
Have it inspected
Before you buy, you can have the home inspector check it out and let you know if it is going to need to be repaired or upgraded. If it looks a little too out of date then you can use this to your advantage and have some of the price knocked off.
Then you can use that for any repairs and the cleaning I already mentioned. Very rarely would the condition of the HVAC be a deal breaker.
Get a home warranty
Anytime you are buying an older home you should be thinking about a home warranty. In the case of one having an old HVAC system you are covered in case of any breakdown of the system.
These warranties can even include the cost of any troubleshooting if there are no major repairs required. This is another good bargaining chip as you could ask the sellers to cover the cost of the first year of the warranty with the purchase of the house.
Ask for an estimate of a new one
If the home inspector tells you that the HVAC is not in good repair and needs to be replaced then you should have an estimate done to replace it with a new one.
Luckily it costs less to replace an old HVAC than to have central air installed in an old home so the out of pocket shouldn’t be too bad.
In any case, old homes come with problems so an old HVAC is probably going to be the least of the surprises you will face.
