Selling Your Home? Don’t Forget About Your HVAC Systems

When selling your San Bernardino area home, your heating and cooling system is an important consideration. Buyers are looking for HVAC equipment that has been well maintained with updated components. Sanborn’s HVAC home selling checklist walks you through steps to take with your HVAC system before you list your home.

Sanborn’s HVAC Home Selling Checklist

Our to-do list focuses on the factors that help you attract buyers with your heating and cooling systems. Your home’s maintenance, upgrades and curb appeal are important aspects you need to be aware of.

Schedule a Maintenance Tune Up

Regular maintenance is critical for heating and cooling systems because buyers want to know equipment has been well cared for over the years. HVAC systems typically last about 15 to 20 years, but if you’ve been diligent about maintenance, it’s likely your system will be in good shape and last longer than average systems.

Before you list your house, make sure your most recent maintenance tune up has been completed. This tune up also cleans the system, helping your equipment look its best to potential buyers.

When you schedule a tune up, ask the representative to print your home’s prior HVAC service reports. This documentation helps put prospective buyers’ minds at ease regarding the prior maintenance of your equipment.

As your technician conducts the tune up, they will note system repairs that need to be made, if any. It’s wise to have these repairs performed. They’ll likely be discovered during a home inspection anyway. This is especially important for any dangerous issues, such as gas or refrigerant leaks.

Some common repairs you’ll want to make include replacing equipment with mechanical wear and tear, fixing thermostat malfunctions and cleaning dirty air conditioner evaporator or condenser coils.

Clean Your Ducts

Duct cleaning is another way to improve the appeal of your home’s heating and cooling systems when you sell your house. Duct cleaning removes contaminants that have accumulated in your ducts over time. Ducts that are filled with mold, mildew or heavy particles should be cleaned to produce a stronger, cleaner airflow. It’s recommended that duct cleaning be performed after moving into a home, so save your buyers the trouble and add value to their potential purchase.

Care for Outdoor Equipment

Clean off your outdoor air conditioner condensing unit or heat pump. Grass clippings, mulch bits, leaves and other outdoor debris build up along the unit’s fins, which not only restricts airflow and hinders system performance but gives your equipment a less-than-desirable look. 

Do some minor sprucing up around the unit, removing vegetation that has grown up around it. Trim back shrubs and trees with branches extending to or over the unit. You want to keep a two-foot area around the unit clear for easy inspection. This step helps your equipment look its best, shows buyers it is well maintained and improves accessibility when it’s time for a home inspection.

Make Smart Upgrades

Upgrading outdated components, such as your thermostat, helps attract buyers. As the interest in smart home products grows, consider replacing your outdated programmable thermostat with a smart thermostat that offers connectivity with popular smart home hubs. 63 percent of home buyers say they are looking for smart thermostats when they view potential homes!

Do I Need to Replace My HVAC System Before Listing My Home?

Unfortunately, the HVAC home selling checklist doesn’t have a straightforward answer for you here, as it depends on several factors. On one hand, replacing an old, outdated HVAC system is a costly proposition, and spending more than $10,000 for replacement is not always the best investment for a seller.

While systems that are more than 15 years old will turn some buyers away, others, though, don’t mind buying a house with an older system, especially if it’s been maintained and well taken care of.

The best solution is to find common ground. During negotiations, many sellers and buyers find success splitting the cost of a new HVAC system or extended warranty. At the very least, you can expect to negotiate with the buyer over the price of the house based on the heating and cooling system alone. You might also be able to price some of the new, energy-efficient systems into the asking price. Be sure to discuss all options with your real estate agent.

Sanborn’s Helps You Manage Your HVAC Home Selling Checklist To-Do List!

When you’re ready to take action on any of the points mentioned on our HVAC home selling checklist, don’t delay the process by waiting around on an unreliable contractor – call Sanborn’s Air Conditioning & Heating! We quickly dispatch our licensed technicians to perform the work you need, so your HVAC system is in top shape when you’re ready to list your home.