Most home buyers want a spotless residence, plus zero maintenance issues. To get the best price for your house during selling season, you’ll need to give buyers what they want. Besides the obvious house cleaning issues, this means making sure that all of your home’s appliances and mechanical systems are in tip-top shape. Your home’s heating and air conditioning system is definitely at the top of that list. If you have concerns about your HVAC maintenance issues, the technicians at Snyder Heating and Air Conditioning are ready to help. Here are some other ways to get your home and HVAC system ready to sell:
Change furnace filter regularly – This may seem like an obvious suggestion; however, many homeowners don’t change their furnace filter as often as recommended in the manufacturer’s HVAC maintenance summary. This causes the HVAC system to work inefficiently and waste money – something most home inspectors would easily notice and report. Since furnace filters also stop dirt and pollen from recirculating through the ventilation system, utilizing a new filter can also keep the home looking cleaner (and more impressive) for showings.
Prevent air leaks – One important way to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of your HVAC system is to prevent air leaks in your home. In winter, cold air gets in through gaps around windows, doors and piping. In summer, the cold air indoors is lost to the outdoors through those same gaps. Insulation and insulating materials like spray foam and weather stripping can help fill gaps that rob you of your comfortable, conditioned air and raise your energy bills.
Improve insulation in unconditioned spaces – No matter what season it is, warm air is always on the move. In the winter, your heated air tries to escape from your home to travel into the unheated attic, crawl space, sun room and garage, eventually to the outside. In summer, it’s just the opposite – the warm (or hot) air in those same unconditioned areas look for ways to sneak back into the living areas, causing your AC bills to rise. To prevent this uncomfortable situation, add or increase the amount of insulation that separates your conditioned spaces (living areas) from your unconditioned spaces, often the attic, crawl space and garage.
Prevent leaking air in duct system – After the heated air leaves your furnace, it must travel through the air ducts to the rooms. Some studies report that as much as 30 percent of the heated air that leaves your furnace is actually lost through air leaks in your duct work. Nearly one-third of the air that you just paid to heat (or cool) has just escaped – usually up into the attic. One way to take control of that situation is to repair air leaks in the ducts with metal-backed tape or mastic sealant.
Open all the HVAC vents – Many homeowners believe that closing vents in unused rooms saves heat (or air conditioning), but that’s not true! Your forced air system was designed to work with all the vents open. When one or more of the vents are closed, your HVAC unit actually works harder to compensate for the “dead end” created in the duct system.
Hire your own inspector – The prospective buyer will usually hire an inspector to thoroughly check out the home before the sale can be finalized. Depending on what issues the inspector finds, it can put off or even cancel the sale. If you are concerned that your HVAC system will not pass muster with the buyer’s inspector, hire your own home inspector long before you put the home on the market. This will give you plenty of time to call in professionals like Snyder Heating and Air Conditioning to correct the problems.
Schedule routine HVAC maintenance – Even if you don’t expect problems, prior to the appointment with the buyer’s home inspector, it’s a good idea to call in Snyder Heating and Air Conditioning for routine HVAC maintenance. Utilizing a 25-part analysis of cleaning and trouble-shooting, the Snyder team will check your AC unit from top to bottom. Not only will they make sure that your unit is cleaned and tuned properly to provide peak performance and efficiency, they can also advise you on the best ways of keeping your outdoor unit clean and free from dirt and debris, which will protect and prolong the life of the unit.
The professionals at Snyder Heating and Air Conditioning have been serving the Jacksonville area for more than 40 years. Our skilled professionals are ready to provide you with quality customer service, plus unmatched technical support. If you are preparing to sell your home and have questions about HVAC maintenance or other heating and AC issues, contact the Snyder team today. We are here to help.
