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Agree with others here...if you truly are planning on selling in a year or two I would not do anything. Most buyers will consider it a nice to have but won't swing price or desirability pendulum at all.
I would prefer not to see a recently installed furnace as I would expect that a seller would not put in the best system if they were planning on selling ....would prefer to do my own research, hiring, installation etc.
Agree with others here...if you truly are planning on selling in a year or two I would not do anything. Most buyers will consider it a nice to have but won't swing price or desirability pendulum at all.
I would prefer not to see a recently installed furnace as I would expect that a seller would not put in the best system if they were planning on selling ....would prefer to do my own research, hiring, installation etc.
If it was installed yesterday that would raise flags with me but if it was two years old I would assume it was done well. That's why we have home inspectors though.
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Originally Posted by Boston_Burbs
I would love your new furnace but most would not.
Another question... if you are spending that much on oil, would you consider switching to LP?
No tank in the basement, direct vent so no flue issues, cleaner, could use it to cook with.
Propane is a great idea. If you have to do a replacement anyway, converting to propane could save on utility bills (not as much as NG though) plus you could have gas cooking and gas fireplaces if you want. Gas cooking for a lot of people is a MAJOR selling point. I know a lot of people who won't buy a house if it has an electric cook top.
Propane is a great idea. If you have to do a replacement anyway, converting to propane could save on utility bills (not as much as NG though) plus you could have gas cooking and gas fireplaces if you want. Gas cooking for a lot of people is a MAJOR selling point. I know a lot of people who won't buy a house if it has an electric cook top.
When my oil furnace eventually goes, I am switching to LP with a tank I own outside. I don't like having oil in a metal tank in the basement, and I also want to render my chimney 100% decorative. You still need to clean LP furnaces but nearly as much as oil so there is a savings in that regard and direct/power vent oil furnace technology is not there yet.
When my oil furnace eventually goes, I am switching to LP with a tank I own outside. I don't like having oil in a metal tank in the basement, and I also want to render my chimney 100% decorative. You still need to clean LP furnaces but nearly as much as oil so there is a savings in that regard and direct/power vent oil furnace technology is not there yet.
Sure it is. I have an oil furnace with no chimney. I was told by my heating technician that I have a direct vent with an inline air boosting fan.
Why don't you want an oil tank in the basement? I think an outdoor propane tank would kill your curb appeal.
Sure it is. I have an oil furnace with no chimney. I was told by my heating technician that I have a direct vent with an inline air boosting fan.
Why don't you want an oil tank in the basement? I think an outdoor propane tank would kill your curb appeal.
You can hide it in the backyard or you could even bury a propane tank.
Propane and oil are of similar cost and hassle but with propane you can install a gas stove and/or standby generator. I personally won't buy a house with oil or propane.
Sure it is. I have an oil furnace with no chimney. I was told by my heating technician that I have a direct vent with an inline air boosting fan.
Why don't you want an oil tank in the basement? I think an outdoor propane tank would kill your curb appeal.
I don't like the idea of an oil tank in my basement either. Two reasons . . . first it takes up space that I could use for storage and second if the tank fails it would be an awful mess and awfully expensive to remedy.
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Originally Posted by Dm84
You can hide it in the backyard or you could even bury a propane tank.
There are a number of ways to hide a propane tank. The easiest way is to bury it which is pretty common. If you don't want to bury your tanks then certainly many homes have a spot on the side which is very inconspicuous. If that's not enough, I've seen people plant arborvitaes around their tank or put a fence around it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dm84
Propane and oil are of similar cost and hassle but with propane you can install a gas stove and/or standby generator. I personally won't buy a house with oil or propane.
I was talking to an energy salesman about this not too long ago. His company sells both so he really doesn't have a favorite horse in this race. He said propane at that time was a bit cheaper. Although, a gallon of oil produces more heat than a gallon of LP. However, he said propane systems tend to be able to achieve higher efficiency levels than oil ones.
One nice thing about LP is that the tanks are most commonly leased (usually for nothing). So, that saves on the expense of ever needing to replace them.
The big plus of LP though is the ability to have gas cooking and gas fireplaces.
I don't like the idea of an oil tank in my basement either. Two reasons . . . first it takes up space that I could use for storage and second if the tank fails it would be an awful mess and awfully expensive to remedy.
There are a number of ways to hide a propane tank. The easiest way is to bury it which is pretty common. If you don't want to bury your tanks then certainly many homes have a spot on the side which is very inconspicuous. If that's not enough, I've seen people plant arborvitaes around their tank or put a fence around it.
Can't you bury an oil tank too, or is that now illegal in MA? Many homes in the Wethersfield neighborhood in Natick have buried oil tanks.
I re-read the original post and didn't see any mention of needing to replace the oil tank. I still think it's just throwing money away to replace an inefficient but functional oil furnace with a new one if he is planning to move. Even more money down the drain to convert to LP unless he gets to enjoy the benefits for many years.
Can't you bury an oil tank too, or is that now illegal in MA? Many homes in the Wethersfield neighborhood in Natick have buried oil tanks.
That's been illegal for a long time. I can't imagine that the buried tanks you mentioned are in use. Many properties have buried tanks that are not in use but have not been removed. Those are a total crap shoot. If they weren't decommissioned properly you can easily have an oil spill on your hands if you try to dig them up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Parsec
I re-read the original post and didn't see any mention of needing to replace the oil tank. I still think it's just throwing money away to replace an inefficient but functional oil furnace with a new one if he is planning to move. Even more money down the drain to convert to LP unless he gets to enjoy the benefits for many years.
It's not a lot of money to get rid of an oil tank. Last quote I saw was around $600. If you don't have to pay for the LP tank (many companies that sell propane will lease you the tank for free) then the only additional cost the OP would have in converting to LP over and above just replacing the furnace would be the piping from the outside tank to the furnace. So, if one is already planning on replacing their furnace as the OP is then there's not a lot of additional expense in converting from oil to LP. IMO, if you're willing to also convert your cooking to LP then it's well worth it as there are many, many buyers who will not even consider a house with electric cooking.
I wouldn't even replace the old furnace if it's still working. That's what I'd do if I could do it all over again. I spent tens of thousands replacing my furnace, roof, doors, and a few windows in the couple years prior to moving. It was like throwing money down the drain.
This. I'd venture to say the roof and windows are more likely to catch a buyer's attention. I'm actually happy to have a simple old (inefficient) Burnham boiler in my house because it's reliable and easy to troubleshoot. I struggle to imagine the high efficiency units amortizing out when an 87% unit is <$2K and the 94% unit is $6k+.
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