Purchasing a home is a considerable investment. Buyers want to know that they are making a smart purchase. A new or well-maintained HVAC system is a great way to catch a homebuyer’s interest. Here are the top 5 ways the age of your HVAC system impacts your home’s resale value.
1. Home tours
When you’re getting ready to show your home to potential buyers, you clean and organize everything in sight to make it as attractive as possible. Just as you clean to get ready for a showing, make sure you’re also using your HVAC to your advantage. Make sure your equipment is clean and running in good condition, and set a comfortable temperature throughout your home. If it’s hot outside, potential buyers will feel relieved to walk into a cool space, and they’ll be happy to know that the A/C is working well.
2. Selling disclosures
One thing on every homebuyer’s checklist is the age of the HVAC system. How would you feel if you just moved into your new home when, all of a sudden, the A/C stopped working? Not only is it inconvenient to deal with, but it could mean the need for an expensive repair or replacement. If you’re selling your home, you are responsible for disclosing the age of your HVAC system, just in case there are major issues that the buyer should be aware of when walking into a sale. Revealing this information could be advantageous if your equipment is fairly new. However, if your system is 10+ years old, that information could deter people from buying.
3. Selling concessions
If your HVAC system is outdated, the homebuyer may request that you replace or repair the equipment before agreeing to purchase your home. It is not uncommon for homebuyers to make requests like this. More often than not, the seller will update their home prior to putting it on the market to avoid a laundry list of things to fix up when it comes time to negotiate with buyers. If you make updates to your HVAC system, buyers will definitely notice. This will increase interest in your home, and you can likely boost the selling price to recapture some of the costs from the updates. On the other hand, if you do not update an older HVAC system, buyers will notice that too. It may cause there to be less interest in your home and could drive the selling price down.
4. Energy efficiency
An updated, energy efficient HVAC system is a huge selling point. Not only is it better for the environment, but energy efficient equipment also saves the homeowner money on their energy bill year after year. Many homebuyers are concerned about the amount they’ll need to pay in utility bills when they move to a new home, especially if the new home is bigger than the place they had been living in previously. Energy Star certified equipment will certainly catch buyers’ eyes and increase the value of your home.
5. Phase-out of R-22
As of January 1, 2020, the EPA banned the remaining production and import of ozone-depleting substances called HCFCs or R-22, which are sometimes found in residential A/C systems. If your home has an A/C unit that was installed before 2010, it may use one of these harmful substances. Beginning in 2020, the servicing of systems with R-22 will rely on recycled or stockpiled parts. This means that if an A/C system that uses R-22 breaks down or needs repair, it will be much harder and possibly much more expensive to find parts to fix it. Updating your HVAC system with newer equipment will help you avoid these harmful substances that homebuyers are surely trying to avoid.
If you’re getting ready to sell your home or just looking for information to boost your home’s resale value, give the experts at American Star a call at (847)321-7704.
