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Hi everyone,
I just got back from the home inspection on our potential 'first place' and am a little nervous. The inspector said the furnace, a/c and gas water heater are from 1990. He said to replace the heater asap to prevent leaks etc.
If we replace the furnace and a/c, will it cost appx $5k? The house has gas heat.
Should we ask the sellers for a concession towards the replacement cost?
Depending on who does it, and the going rate for your area, 5k may just be the furnace and another 2-3k for the A/C. Call your local HVAC companies and get a general quote as prices for these items vary by region.
Just don't be surprised if the Seller declines... from their prospective... all the items are safe and functional...
A lot of the Realtors here will not sell without a Home Warranty... even if they have to pay for it out of their commision. I've known quite a few water heaters that failed under warranty and were replaced for the deductible.
I don't know where the home is... things tend to be higher in CA...
Heat Exchanger cracked on Mom's 42 year old Furnace... estimates were between $3800 and $4500 to replace like for like.
I was able to buy a high efficiency furnace and all the parts for less than $1400 and took a weekend to install because of the outside combustion air and condensate high efficiency furnaces require... and that included the permit.
Water Heaters in CA run about $400 now plus install...
Did a 100% furnace and a/c install in my brothers house including power, gas line, venting and ducting... $2400 for parts +/-
On the plus side... going new will also give you the opportunity to get the most energy efficient units if you desire... can be substantial savings, especially if you use heat A/C a lot.
If it was my home and I wanted to sell... I think the most I would do is credit you $1500 max... this way, I'm out of the loop and you can do what you want.
What is the life expectancy of a furnace? 1990 is still less than 20 years old. I would think a furnace should last longer than that but I don't really know.
What is the life expectancy of a furnace? 1990 is still less than 20 years old. I would think a furnace should last longer than that but I don't really know.
I've got some older central furnaces dating from the 1920's that work just like the day they were installed.
As long as the heat exchanger is OK... most any other part is replaceable...
Newer... read that to be High Efficiency Models... have a lot more that can go wrong and I wouldn't expect one of today's models to last anywhere near as long.
Heating and A/C is always about the cost of repair vs spending the same money towards upgrading for Energy Efficiency...
Water Heaters... if the location is where a water leak will not cause damage... I will not replace unless it is leaking... the worst case is waking up with no hot water one morning.
If a leak will cause floors to buckle, ruin carpet and/or furniture... it makes sense to not only replace but more important to add a water heater pan to capture water from future leaks and pipe it outside...
Totally off topic... I'm much more concerned about homes with in-slab piping... seems subdivisons here are plagued with leaks... starting once the home is around 25 years old.
And if you end up getting the home - remember to check your utility providers' web sites for rebates for energy savings. Also check the web sites of the companies who are selling the equipment.
I replaced the A/C, the heater, and the water heater about 9 years ago. Got rebates from the electric company, the gas company, Carrier Corp., and the state of California. I had to wait for the money after installation, but it basically paid for half once all the checks were in.
Chances are that the sellers know that the furnace is 20 years old and that was taken into consideration when they priced the house in the first place. It never hurts to ask but don't expect them to come down in price because of that. There are a lot of rebates to be had for installing high efficiency furnaces/appliances so check into those. 5K sounds reasonable to replace the units.
I would doubt the age of the equipment was taken into account when the house was priced. Like Ultra said, from the owner's perspective everythings safe and functional.
It would probably cost $800- 900 to replace a gas 50 gallon water heater. The vent connector (flue) should probably be changed from 3" to 4" and you'll need a bonding jumper. That increases the cost a little.
Have your attorney put some money into escrow to cover an A/C condenser unit, since you probably didn't test that. I'm not sure if you're using attorneys for closings in South Jersey yet.
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