I had a home inspection on one of my listings last week and overall the house was deemed to be "in very good condition, well-maintained--despite its 20 years". The home inspector did note that the furnace hang tag indicated a leak somewhere with a date beside the notation. Now, I am not a rocket scientist but I can jump to the conclusion that a date with a leak noted would likely mean that it was repaired on that date but was not noted accurately on the hang tag. The furnace at the home had been regularly maintained and parts had been updated/replaced over time.
When the buyers heard of this noted leak, they immediately panicked despite the sellers' plan to get an HVAC person out to expertly evaluate the heating system. We unfortunately had a time lag due to Thanksgiving and could only get a service person out 5 days later. I learned from the buyer agent the buyers informed her that despite the HVAC findings, they would be asking the sellers for a new furnace!
I just returned from having the HVAC guy out to the house and he indicated a few minor valve replacements would be in order but otherwise the system looked very good without any need for concern. When the buyer agent asked "What about what the inspector said?" The HVAC person responded that home inspectors often "do not know what they are talking about and are not expert in these areas." He actually said it in more blunt terms but I do not need to restate that here.
The lesson here is for buyers to take the home inspection as a guide but know that a true expert in the area is needed for proper evaluation. Many home sales fall apart over minor issues that could be corrected if everyone remains calm. Second opinions are often in order as well to be sure that a service person is not just hoping to sell their product (i.e. new wiring, new furnace, etc)
Comments(4)