Buying your first home is exciting. After all, the American Dream has always been to enjoy that nice house with a yard, and perhaps a child or pet running around underfoot. While first-time homebuyers are usually thrilled by the notion of owning property, many tend to make the mistake of overlooking key factors within a house that can actually make it far less desirable, specifically when it comes to plumbing, heating, and cooling systems. Walter Tulecki is the owner of WT Mechanical, a Central New Jersey plumbing, heating, and cooling company, and according to him, first-time buyers on a whole need to be more vigilant when it comes to obtaining information about their new potential homes.
Generally speaking, the process of finding and buying a new home comes with a large degree of emotion. People tend to get attached to homes as the result of aspects like layout, design, and location. However, many people — first-time buyers in particular — don’t realize how important it is to research research areas of the home such as plumbing, heating, and cooling systems. After all, these are the “behind the scenes” factors within the house that help keep it running. And while such items might not contribute to a home’s aesthetic appeal, they do have a huge influence as far as day to day quality of household life is concerned.
So what questions should first-time buyers ask when seeking out information about their new potential homes? For starters, it’s always good to ask what type of heating system comes with the house. Most homes are equipped with forced air heat. But many believe that radiant heat provides a more comfortable internal temperature and is cheaper to run over the long term. One mistake that first-time buyers tend to make is that when they calculate how much house they can afford, they only factor in items such as downpayments, mortgage bills, and property taxes. Many first-time buyers fail to realize that by buying homes with inefficient heating and cooling systems, they could end up spending more money than expected on energy costs over the years.
Another important question to ask is whether or not the plumbing and HVAC systems have been updated. The age of a system can often tell convey its ability to function over the long term. First-time buyers should also try to find out to what extent such systems have been thoroughly maintained throughout the years; after all, it would be a shame to end up having to pay for a previous owner’s neglect.
One interesting thing about first-time buyers is that they tend to be nervous about most aesthetic aspects of a potential home such as appliances and flooring. But, many tend to compromise more easily on things such as heating systems. In fact, in Tulecki’s experience, the average person will spend more money on a car, which he’ll use for seven or eight years, than on something like a boiler, which can last 15 to 20 years. The best way for first-timers to go about purchasing a new home is to get their priorities in check.
As part of the purchase routine, every potential buyer (be it a first-timer or a seasoned homeowner) is bound to have a home inspection done on the targeted property. While home inspections are an important step in the process, buyers should realize that most home inspectors are not actually licensed plumbers or HVAC specialists. Therefore, Tulecki suggests that following an inspection, buyers bring in a licensed professional to answer questions about the integrity and reliability of the plumbing, heating, and cooling systems. While some might be hesitant to spend the extra money, Tulecki feels that a $200 consultation and inspection fee is definitely worth it in the grand scheme of hidden plumbing and HVAC costs. After all, the last thing that a first-time (or any) buyer would want is to sign closing papers, move in, and realize that leaks are in a crawl space, or that the heating system is about to go.
Finally, it’s a good idea to ask if the seller is willing to include a one-year home warranty along with the sale. This can protect buyers from having to bear the cost of major repairs (such as replacing the heating system or fixing a major plumbing issue) during the first year of ownership.
Being a first-time homebuyer isn’t easy. But, by knowing what to ask and learning the truth about the plumbing and HVAC systems of your potential home, you’ll be putting yourself in the best position to enjoy your new investment to the fullest for many years to come.
