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In different parts of the country it might not be as huge of a issue but in Florida it is and let me tell you my story....
I didn't have it,I couldn't afford to put it in and my huge wall unit always cooled the house just fine.But when I decided to sell my house I miscalculated.I took a loan,remodeled a bathroom,did alot of fixups,painting,basically made the house look sparkling thinking better to do that and give a credit for no AC.
People looked at the house,knowing I was willing to give a credit and then some for the trouble of putting it in yet I had a few negative remarks about it and my house sat on the market because of it which if I had installed it I might have gotten a larger sum because the longer it sat the more the market started going down.Also,the wall unit was humming,I think the hum itself was a turnoff.
A few months after my house was for sale I borrowed more money and had it installed and also upgraded the electrical panel.Brand new AC now made a great selling point,and then my house finally sold.
People think central AC is now as common as having a kitchen in the house,and given the choices they have on the market these days are not willing to go through hassles of doing major upgrades and if they do,they will lowball you severely on the price.
And think of it from their pov,personally I wouldn't buy a house either without it,it takes 2 days for a company to put it in but people don't see it that way unless you have a house they adore sooo much that they are willing to over look it,doubtful though.
BTW,you say you are fixing alot of things to sell,I did also but keep this in mind.Do what has to be done to make it sellable,but don't go overboard and throw away money that might not help the sale anyway.Clean is #1.Paint,replace any bad wood,a desirable bathroom and kitchen,replace anything damaged,new appliances.But go budget,I replaced carpet but stayed beige,a neutral color and bought left overs from a carpet company.I replaced all aplliances but didn't buy the most expensive.Remove all personal clutter,100 stickers on a fridge and stuff like that.I planted nice looking flowers and stuff but bought cheap ones.I had a concrete patio and just by staining it it changed the whole look.Pinting the garage floor grey changed the whole look of it.I replaced the window blinds but went with the cheapest yet it changed the whole look.
As a person who's lived w/both, I would never go back to "window" a/c units. However, climate is prob the most important factor and NJ does get muggy in the summer months. Will you get your $$ back on the investment? Who knows, my crystal ball is too cloudy to give me a reading.....
I used to be a "windows open all day and night" type of person, but my wife has spoiled me.
Definitely if your husband can do it at cost, I'd do it. Bob's pricing seemed a bit high. I know people in our neighborhood that have had it installed in existing homes for about $3000 - $3500 (for about 2000 sf), no zones. Might be different in different regions of the country. I wouldn't drop $10 - 12,000 on it. Everyone here runs it through existing heat ducts, which cuts down on cost. The condenser is the biggest expense.
$3k-$3.5k work IF there's existing forced air heat. In most cases of homes built in the past 20 years, though, if there was forced air heat, there would already be AC in the house- it was a no-brainer and a low-cost sales point for the builder. I'd be willing to bet that there's no ductwork in the house, in which case my numbers will be correct.
$3k-$3.5k work IF there's existing forced air heat. In most cases of homes built in the past 20 years, though, if there was forced air heat, there would already be AC in the house- it was a no-brainer and a low-cost sales point for the builder. I'd be willing to bet that there's no ductwork in the house, in which case my numbers will be correct.
Bob
I've seen a lot of homes built in the 70's, 80's and 90's (here) that have forced air heat and no air-conditioning. A/C in new construction has only been considered "standard" here for maybe 5 - 10 years, and not even so in starter home new construction, so there's a wide swath of homes in between.
But I do agree, if she has baseboard heat, then NO I would not put in air conditioning. I don't think you'd get 1/2 your money back.
$3k-$3.5k work IF there's existing forced air heat. In most cases of homes built in the past 20 years, though, if there was forced air heat, there would already be AC in the house- it was a no-brainer and a low-cost sales point for the builder. I'd be willing to bet that there's no ductwork in the house, in which case my numbers will be correct.
Bob
You are correct..we have oil fired base board hot water heat
No existing duct work
Ther are many homes w/o in my area, actually most except the new homes or where it was added on later
They do sell though
I live in a lake community and at one time before the weather pattern started changing..you really didn't need AC, especially at night..
Bob..think you are/were from NJ..it's Lake Hopatcong
Bob..think you are/were from NJ..it's Lake Hopatcong
Yup- I was. We've been down in North Georgia since July and love it.
Hubby will certainly tell you that it's not going to pay back, as it's alot of work for him to snake ducts through the house, and he's probably right. Up in NW NJ, I'd just sell it with the window units. The central AC "might" help the house sell faster, but I don't think it'll raise the price enough to get the $$ back.
We sold our house in Iselin with window units in the middle of the summer and it wasn't an issue. A few houses in the neighborhood had installed central AC, and it didn't affect the pricing more than a few $k if at all according to the realtors.
Yup- I was. We've been down in North Georgia since July and love it.
Hubby will certainly tell you that it's not going to pay back, as it's alot of work for him to snake ducts through the house, and he's probably right. Up in NW NJ, I'd just sell it with the window units. The central AC "might" help the house sell faster, but I don't think it'll raise the price enough to get the $$ back.
We sold our house in Iselin with window units in the middle of the summer and it wasn't an issue. A few houses in the neighborhood had installed central AC, and it didn't affect the pricing more than a few $k if at all according to the realtors.
I would never buy a house without air conditioning.
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Everyone here runs it through existing heat ducts, which cuts down on cost. The condenser is the biggest expense.
