HVAC Upgrades for Home Selling in Minnesota
In Minnesota, the cost of home ownership always means taking energy costs into account. For many Minneapolis St. Paul homeowners, the cost of heating and cooling may be second only to their monthly mortgage payment in their cost of ownership. Our severe winters and hot, humid summers make energy costs a large factor. For homebuyers, that means paying special attention to the HVAC system of a home they’re considering, among other factors.
Janelle Seitzer – South Central MN is a great place to live and play, which is why Janelle Seitzer chose to call it home. With roots in St. Louis Park, MN, Janelle called the south metro home in 2017 following 12 years in the Mankato area. With real estate as her passion, it’s easy to see why so many individuals and families have trusted and relied on Janelle’s experience and education to guide them in their homeownership paths; whether first-time or experienced homebuyers and sellers. Janelle and her husband have remodeled houses, which ultimately led to Janelle’s licensure. Curious to learn what improvements have the best return on investment? Janelle has the answers. She looks forward to serving you! Phone 507-351-8923
For home sellers, inadequate or inefficient heating and cooling systems or poor insulation may reduce the marketability of their home. Some of the issues to consider include:
- Heating Systems – Every Minnesota home has a furnace or some other heating system, usually installed in the home’s basement or crawl space. The type, efficiency, and age of a home’s heating system is a crucial factor for both buyers and sellers. Outdated heating systems, with efficiencies of less than 80%, mean higher costs to heat the home. For buyers, checking the heating system should be a must. A thorough home inspection includes a basic test of the heating system. Most furnaces have a sticker that shows the efficiency rating for that furnace. Some older homes have boilers or steam heat or even what is called an “octopus furnace.” These are quite inefficient. For sellers, an older, inefficient furnace can be a serious drawback in marketing and selling their home. If the home’s furnace is nearing time for replacement, replacing it with a modern, high-efficiency furnace is a great upgrade.
- Air Conditioning Systems – While there are still a few homes in the Minneapolis St. Paul metro area without any air conditioning, most homes have some form of air conditioning. Central air conditioning that works with the home’s furnace and air duct system is the most popular type. As with furnace systems, the efficiency rating or SEER rating of the air conditioning system is an important factor in the cost of cooling the home. The higher the efficiency, the lower the cost. Some homes in the Twin Cities still rely on window air conditioning units. These can work OK, but are not as efficient as central air conditioning and are noisy and unattractive to most homebuyers. Home sellers can make their home more salable and get a better price by upgrading outdated air conditioning systems with modern central air conditioning.
- Insulation & Weatherproofing – No matter how efficient or modern a heating and air conditioning system is, a poorly insulated home with leaky windows and doors increases energy costs dramatically. Homebuyers should carefully assess these factors, with the help of the home inspector they hire, and should include deficits in either in their thinking about any home they are considering. For sellers, having their energy company perform an energy audit as part of the preparations for selling makes great sense. The audit is relatively inexpensive, and correcting flaws in insulation and weatherproofing will help make your home more marketable. As with all improvements made before selling your home, consider the cost of the improvement and its effect on the selling price of the home.
Prepare Your Home for Sale with HVAC Upgrades
The seasoned, dedicated REMAX agents of our team are always ready to help both homebuyers and sellers understand all of the factors that go into every real estate transaction. For sellers, we don’t just list your property on the Minnesota MLS, we work to help reduce the time your home is on the market and maximize your selling price. Energy considerations are just one of the areas we’ll help you understand. For buyers, our buyer’s agents will help homebuyers evaluate all aspects of a particular home and help provide the information they need to make excellent decisions. In either case, The Minnesota Real Estate Team is 100% dedicated to helping homebuyers and sellers in every step of every transaction.
