If you’re in the process of purchasing a home, you’re probably focused on location, needed space, and amenities. But a home’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning are not only important considerations for a home buyer – their potential problems are easy to miss during an inspection. And HVAC issues can spell financial disaster down the line either inexpensive fuel bills or costly repairs. This is why home buyers should add HVAC to their laundry list of concerns before making a purchase.
What Home Inspections Miss
The basic home inspection performed during the buying process often misses crucial HVAC problems. Oftentimes this is because of the weather. During a mid-winter inspection, a home inspector may be reluctant to blast the AC. The same goes for the summer, as many inspectors will shy away from cranking up the furnace. This seasonal lack of checks could lead to costly fixes for homeowners down the road if faulty HVAC in the house was missed in the inspection.
Another reason inspectors shy away from checking the AC and furnace is that they’re afraid that firing up these systems will damage them if they’ve been out of use for some time. The inspection service may be afraid of being held liable should an HVAC system break in the days following an inspection, so many inspectors simply don’t check for HVAC issues. Read the fine print of most home inspections and you’ll see that many include disclaimers regarding HVAC issues should trouble to occur down the line with these systems.
In order to fully understand the consequences of not having the HVAC in a house properly inspected before purchase, let’s take a look at one of the top missed problems in home inspections: a faulty AC compressor. If the home inspection service fails to crank the AC during the inspection, they will miss that the home’s AC compressor is not working properly. Within months of moving into your new house, the AC could stop working — and having a new compressor installed will cost you over $1,000.
Bringing In the Professionals
The best way to dodge costly HVAC issues is to hire a professional HVAC inspector to thoroughly check the systems in your prospective home. The amount of money you spend on this inspection will be well worth it. You’ll be buying the peace of mind that comes with knowing you’ve made the right purchase. You can be assured the furnace or AC won’t break within months of purchasing the home, leaving you with serious bills to pay. A one-time inspection fee is a small price to pay for knowing you’ve made the right call on a home. And for your new home, consider enrolling in our Full-Service Plan.
