Buying home: After home inspection, saw old furnace, AC, and H20 heater. What now? HO Warr? Cash back?etc.?

we don't want to have to replace all of these before its necessary but the inspector said they could go ';at any time';. What could be our next course of action? We want the house obviously, but not with $7-10K worth of out of ocket necesseties.Buying home: After home inspection, saw old furnace, AC, and H20 heater. What now? HO Warr? Cash back?etc.?
www.americanhomeshield.com





Appliance insurance. Will cover all appliances %26amp; plumbing %26amp; electrical. Depending on where you live the policy will range from $400-500/year. Service calls $55 to repair or replace. No homeowner should be without this policy.





Hope this helps.Buying home: After home inspection, saw old furnace, AC, and H20 heater. What now? HO Warr? Cash back?etc.?
appliance insurance is a waste of money. take that $400 - 500 a year and put it towards new appliances.

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Huero is correct - ';it could go at any time'; applies to almost anything including a defective new product. Here are my life cycle guidelines for major utility items FURNACE 15 years easily - I replaced mine after 20 to get better effeciency. AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM The compressor is the weak link - a brand name should last at least 10 years. WATER HEATER - GAS about 10 -15 years - Water heaters are sold on a spectrum of quality with the cheapest lasting the shortest time. Electric about 10 years





In all probability you will find a similar condition in any previousily owned home - so you will again be faced with guessing how long the utility systems will last. I suggest you evaluate the house on the basis of how well it has been maintained and if that is okay attempt to negotiate with the seller.





REMEMBER an old roof could cost thousands, inadeqaute insulation could be a problem, a damp basement may be costly to repair, REPLACEMENT of A 100 AMP MAIN ELECTRICAL Panel would be expensive, condtion/age of fencing, grounds, kitchen appliances, windows (if single pane you will eventually replace them), condition of asphalt or concrete pavements --there are many many factors you must consider. DO NOT RELY on solely your inspector's opinion, particularly if not licensed.
Many home inpectors, at least in my state, are not licensed and all that is required for them to go into business as a home inspector is to have some business cards printed. They often cover their liability by stating that the age of the equipment they have inspected may cause a malfunction and that the equipment may fail at any second. That's usually baloney. They are responsible for killing more real estate deals than any other cause. We have tried, without success, to have Home Inspectors in my state tested, licensed, and regulated but with no success. If you want a home's mechanical system evaluated go to an HVAC contractor for an assessment - don't go to somebody who doesn't have a thorough knowledge of the subject. You wouldn't take your car to a podiatrist, would you?
It's a risk your going to have to take... If you want the house bad enough, you'll buy it and hope that the mechanical equipment doesn't break down soon... You might be able to get the seller to put in a new furnace if you pay the asking price... But it probably won't be anything fancy..





Good Luck
Its a risk but you can lower your offer based on the home inspection, pointing out that the furnace, A/C, water heater are at end of life. They may accept it, counter it or refuse it. Then its up to you, if you REALLY want the house, you may just have to accept the fact and start saving $$. I wouldnt ask the seller to replace anything, because as the other person said, they will put the cheapest stuff they can find in (if they do it at all).