You as the buyer’s agent have worked hard and have done a great job getting your buyers an above average house. The buyers are thrilled and you can’t wait for them to tell all their friends how great you are.
But soon, instead of hearing feedback about how great you are, you are hearing about the problems the buyers are having with the house. Nothing will get negative feedback flying faster than heating or air conditioning that has failed shortly after move in.
Now I know you are saying “but I always have my buyer get the house inspected.” An inspector can’t and won’t catch these common problems.
What if I have an HVAC contractor service the units? They can’t foretell or test when these parts are going to fail. They can be working just fine the day the inspector or HVAC tech is there and fail the next day.
These 3 parts fail with age. There are typically no visible symptoms. Unless the seller can tell you or show you a receipt that these items have been replaced in the last few years it is worth the cost to replace them as preventative maintenance.
Here is what happens if you challenge Murphy’s Law and don’t replace these items. They WILL fail on a holiday weekend and none of the local HVAC companies will have them in stock.
Here are the 3 parts that need to be replaced:
# 1 The ignitor in the furnace.
# 2 The “start” capacitor in the outside AC unit. As the name implies, your AC won’t start without it.
# 3 The “run” capacitor in the outside AC unit. Your unit will start, run for maybe 30 - 45 seconds and then shut down when this goes bad. The fan on the outside unit isn’t spinning.
The total cost for these 3 parts should be a little over $100 plus installation (which is quick). BTW, the capacitors hold potentially lethal voltage. They are NOT DIY replaceable items.
Ok, you and / or the buyer are just adamant about not replacing them. At least have the HVAC tech that you have come out as part of your inspection due diligence look at all 3 items and tell you whether or not they always have those particular replacements on their company trucks or if they have to be special ordered.
An ounce of prevention is worth (far more than) a pound of cure. Enjoy your raving fans.
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