How To Inspect An AC System Before You Purchase A Home

Purchasing a new home is obviously a big investment and potential home buyers should be confident that the properties they are considering are in good working condition. One of the most important aspects of homes in the Tampa, FL area is the air conditioner system, as it plays a huge role in your comfort, energy costs, potential maintenance costs as well as value of your new home. Before you purchase a home with the intention that you will not be replacing all of the appliances (or just the AC), consider how important their proper function is to the sale of the home. Although you may not have the tools or training to do a thorough inspection, there is a simplified way to inspect your homes air conditioning system that every potential buyer can follow.  Of course, hiring a certified home inspector will also help determine the condition of the unit.

What Is the Age of the Air Conditioner?

One of the most important things to check regarding the homes AC unit is the age. This is important because it can factor into the warranty, the condition, as well as the energy efficiency, or SEER rating of the unit. SEER or Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio measures air conditioning and heat pump cooling efficiency.

For machines that were built before January 2006, the minimum allowable SEER rating for a new central AC unit was 10. For machines built after this date the minimum allowable rating is 13. To be sure you get the most efficient machine, look for a machine with a high SEER rating and that was built post-2006 or more recently. A machine with an existing warranty can also be an important consideration for buyers wishing to flip homes for resale value.

Is the AC Cooling Adequately in All Rooms?

While walking through your potential new house, get a feeling for the temperature in each room. Are they equally cooled? Do you notice any significant disparities? If so, the air conditioner may be problematic and you may need to install a new AC in the home to remain comfortable.

Check for Condensation

While walking through the home examine the ducts to see if there is any condensation around them. Also check the indoor unit to see if it is leaking. Condensation can harbor mold which can affect the air quality in your home as well as contribute to illness. Signs of moisture are one of the first signs that your new home will require new AC installation or repair.

Guest Post by A&R Heating & Air

This post brought to you courtesy of A&R, an AC installation (www.actrends.com ), repair, maintenance and sales provider in the Central Florida area. We have been servicing residential and commercial clients for over 25 years with a commitment to excellence and dependability. For more information visit http://www.actrends.com.

Get rid of your ugly house once and for all!  

Remodeling a home, just like any life changing experience can cause anxiety. Have you ever been through a remodeling project? A home addition? An updated bathroom?  A new kitchen?  Were you overwhelmed by all of the choices you had, and all of the decisions you had to make? Did anyone prepare you for the steps involved in your project?

Lisa Berardo at Collective Construction Interiors says, “real creativity is not simply copying ideas from a magazine or book, but being able to solve specific challenges that are unique to your home.”

Here are 6 things an interior designer will do to help you transform your house into a home!

1.  Establish a reasonable budget, with allowances for each item

2.  Design a space plan that’s functional

3.  Recommend products & suppliers

4.  Guide final product choices that fit the home, budget, and lifestyle

5.  Prepare detailed floor plans, elevations, & specifications in order to:

6. Work with you and the contractors to achieve the best results possible.

The most important benefit that a professional designer brings to your project is creativity, including cutting edge design tools to help bring the project to life. We have the ability to see the finished room in our mind, down to the smallest detail, before it becomes a reality.

Lisa Berardo at Collective Construction & Interiors, Inc. in St. Petersburg, has offered readers of The Tampa Real Estate Insider Blog a FREE personal consultation.

There’s no catch! Just check out her site and let her know you saw this article!

NEW FHA RENOVATION LOAN GUIDELINES

Many home buyers are getting great deals on short sales and foreclosures here in Tampa, however these homes usually require updates and renovations.

With these new rehab loans offered by Wells Fargo, you can turn your newly purchased home into the house of your dreams

with little or no money out of pocket!

Even better, you only have to have a minimum credit score of 600 to qualify!

REMODEL EXPRESS

REPAIRS UP TO $35,000

LOWES OR HOME DEPOT TO DO ALL REPAIRS

NO STRUCTURAL REPAIRS ALLOWED

CLOSE IN 30-45 DAYS

Want to add a pool? Then these 203K financing options may be for you!

203k STREAMLINE

REPAIRS UP TO $35,000

PICK UP TO 4 DIFFERENT COMPANIES TO DO THE WORK – ALL MUST BE LICENSED AND CARRY INSURANCE –EXAMPLES – ROOFER, PLUMBER,

NO STRUCTUAL REPAIRS ALLOWED

CLOSE IN 45-60 DAYS

203k – Full blown

NO LIMIT ON REPAIRS

STRUCTUAL REPAIRS ALLOWED

1 LICENSED GENERAL CONTRACTOR

HUD CONSULTANT REQUIRED

CLOSE 90-120 DAYS

CONVENTIONAL MORTGAGE

STRUCTUAL REPAIRS ALLOWED

THIRD PARTY REVIEW PROCESS

1 LICENSED GENERAL CONTRACTOR

CLOSE 60 DAYS

So, what’s the next step?  You’ll need to get pre-qualified to find out what you can afford.  A mortgage specialist can go over all the details of this, and many other financing options available to you.  Shoot us an email here

You may also want to read the New FHA Lower Minimum Credit Score Guidelines and Information here.

With the amount of short sale and foreclosures on the market in the Tampa Bay area, the 203K loan program may be a great opportunity to purchase a distressed property and renovate it the way you want to.  Most of these properties have been abandoned and need work. If you have the vision, and can put a little time into designing a house, a mortgage designed for renovations may be the best way to purchase. 

When purchasing or refinancing a home, why not include additional money for renovations or repairs?

 Many buyers plan to make changes to a home after closing.  

 A Renovation Loan allows buyers to purchase and renovate a home with one loan.

BENEFITS

•  Mortgage based on after-improved value.
• One closing and then repairs begin (sellers avoid having to make repairs themselves)
• Perfect solution to older home problems
• Enables borrowers to buy a foreclosure property without having cash to do the needed repairs

ELIGIBLE REPAIRS

• Roofing, gutters and downspouts
• Interior or exterior painting
• Room addition or garage
• Remodel kitchens and baths
• Update appliances
• Flooring, tiling and carpeting
• Major landscaping, decks and fencing
• Structural alterations and additions
• Modernize plumbing, heating,
• AC and electrical systems.
• Install or repair well or septic system
• Energy conservation improvements  

 Call Katie Cook Hughes for more details on this loan program, Sr. Loan Officer,Prospect Mortgage, Cell: 813.546.0922

View all homes for sale in the Tampa Bay area.

Visit our MLS website!  Save your favorite homes, get property alerts and more.  

This is a guest blog post from Ann Alderson, with Home Staging South Tampa.  Great advice and ideas to help sell your house in a down market; and it’s not as expensive as you may think!

The final step in preparing a house for market is the most creative step.  Once the house has been de-cluttered, cleaned, repaired and neutralized, the last step to creating the right impression and feelings is home staging.  This is the unspoken method that makes buyers fall in love and feel themselves owning and living in the home.  This is where and how you get in touch with their feelings — the ones that make them want to return, move in and enjoy living in the home.

Here are some key points for home staging:

• To feel totally comfortable in the home.
• To see it as a personal haven from the hectic life outside.
• To enjoy the beauty of the structure or view.
• To see it as a place to be proud to own.
• To see it as a place to show to family and friends.
• To see it as a place to live safely and see their family happy.

If buyers emotionally connect with the home, they will often sacrifice a feature on their list.  They might even pay a higher price.  But falling in love with the home is the key factor.  That is why Home Enhancement is crucial when the home is competing with new construction/model homes.  Resale homes are at a disadvantage in this market and home staging gives them a leg up.  By using vignettes in a room you can easily focus the buyer’s attention in a specific direction. 

Remember, when staging, less is more and a room shouldn’t be stuffed full of furniture and accessories.  In fact, the room should be trimmed severely.  So you’ll want to decide from the beginning what type of room you want it to be featured as and whether the room can double for a second activity or not.  For instance, when you work in the master bedroom, see if you can make it a master suite and look for a way to create a seating area in addition to the sleeping space.

Have you noticed in design magazines that the rooms look warm and inviting without actually depicting people in the space?  Yet the rooms look like you could relax, enjoy a book, take a bath or entertain lavishly.  These are the types of feelings you want to create.  This is the secret to successful home staging.

Each room should speak to you in its own way.  Maybe it speaks relaxation.  Maybe it speaks comfort.  Go with that aspect and then try to tweak it to suggest something other than the obvious.

Look for ways you can reach a buyer’s senses — sight, smell, sound, touch.  The more successfully you can tap into their emotions, the sooner the sale will take place and the higher the price you will get. 

Thinking of selling your home in the Tampa Bay Area? Call a Realtor first! 

Rae Catanese, PA   813 784 7744. 

Ann and myself will be happy to give you a free home consultation and market analysis.