HVAC Considerations For Selling Your Home

Most homeowners repaint the walls, repair faulty appliances, landscape, and declutter their property before putting it up for sale. While these are essential home improvements to increase the property's resale value, some overlooked or ignored components can quickly reduce your home's price. Home installations, such as HVAC systems, are crucial determinants of a building's resale value.

Being among the most expensive home installation, your prospective buyers will carefully assess your HVAC system for functionality and other performance features. Due to its high upfront costs, buyers won't purchase properties where they will have to replace these systems shortly, especially after spending a lot on the new property. That said, below are some HVAC considerations for selling your property.

1. HVAC systems maintenance

Ideally, your HVAC system should be maintained regularly (at least once a year) by HVAC technicians. Maintenance technicians often issue a maintenance report that should be in your records. That said, most prospective buyers will start by inquiring about these maintenance records for their peace of mind. This assures them that the system functions optimally, as annual maintenance reduces breakdown risks by 95%.

Apart from giving prospective buyers peace of mind, well-maintained units are a strong selling point. Your buyers won't have much to worry about when moving into the property. That said, standard HVAC system maintenance include assessment of the following;

• Assessment of general operations – HVAC technicians should ensure that the system starts, runs, and shuts off perfectly.
• Thermostat assessment – with proper settings, your unit will maintain comfortable temperatures while conserving power.
• Inspection of the outdoor unit – dirt and accumulating debris should be removed from the outdoor unit.
• Electrical connections – they should be snug with accurate voltage readings.
• Fan assessment – fan motor and blades should be examined for damage
• Lubrication – this reduces friction within the system, saving energy
• Examination of condensate drain – this ensures that there is no clogging or obstruction in the system
• Air filter replacement – regular replacement of air filters maintains airflow quality
• Coil cleaning
• Blower maintenance
• Refrigerant check

Note that even if your system is dully maintained, it is prudent to have it cleaned, inspected, and repaired before listing your home for sale. If you had neglected maintenance of these units, your technician would identify issues that can potentially impair the sales process. Experts will diagnose and recommend parts that require repair or replacement. This ensures that potential buyers won't be in for any surprises.

2. Clean the ducts

Cleaning your ducts is important as it maintains your HVAC system's optimal functioning. Fortunately, you can easily identify when your unit ducts have an issue. A common indicator is a sudden increase in energy bills and diminished performance of the HVAC system. Blocked ducts lead to restricted airflow, forcing the system to overwork.

Several factors can cause blocked ducts, including pet hair, debris, and dander. Therefore, apart from increased bills, sensitive persons may develop unexplained allergies and asthma. Cleaning and resealing HVAC ducts reduces energy loss and improves the functionality of your HVAC system.

Removing accumulating dust and debris also improves indoor air quality. Like inspection and HVAC maintenance, you should work with trained air duct cleaning experts for better results.

3. Install extra features

While installing extra features may seem unnecessary, modern features can impress prospective buyers. Modern upgrades on HVAC systems make them convenient and safe to use and help reduce energy wastage. However, you should choose important modern upgrades to avoid spending money on expensive installations that won't increase your home's resale value.

Some prudent HVAC installations that can make your property marketable include;

• West switch – this switch detects leaks or excessive moisture condensation and shuts, preventing system damage. This can convince prospective buyers that the unit has safety features that protect it in case of overflows.
• Smart thermostat – this is another useful upgrade that makes it easy for homeowners to monitor and manage system energy consumption. An excellent smart thermostat, such as the Nest Smart Thermostat from Google, provides additional features and benefits. For instance, this unit comes with a geo fencing feature that detects when you are home, Nest protects that detects carbon monoxide leaks, remote system control, and more.

4. Decide between repairing and replacing

If your system has issues, you should choose between repairing your HVAC and replacing it before listing your home for sale. Making this decision is challenging for most homeowners. This is because while repairing is typically less expensive than replacing. However, on the other end, old models may dissuade potential buyers.

This is why a thorough inspection of your HVAC system before listing your home is important. Findings given by inspection experts will guide you on whether you should repair or replace the system. Replacing the unit may become unavoidable if the HVAC is very old and unstable.

Conclusion

Listing your home for sale is challenging in the current wild market. However, slight adjustments, such as ensuring that your HVAC unit functions optimally, can make your home stand out from other properties in the market.