Buying a Mentor Home in Winter? What Inspections Can't Test

by Mike Ferrante

Buying a house in the winter has its upsides. Showings can be less crowded, and the sellers who list this time of year usually have a real reason to move. But a winter purchase comes with one built-in problem: some parts of the house can't be fully checked until the weather changes.

The air conditioning usually doesn't get tested

It's widely accepted in the home inspection field that central air conditioning shouldn't be run when it's colder than about 60 degrees outside, because running it can damage the compressor. Many inspectors won't test it at all below that, and their report will say so. That's not your inspector cutting corners. It's protecting the equipment.

So a buyer who closes in November may not find out whether the AC works until the first hot day in June. I wrote about exactly that situation in our post on whether a home warranty is worth it: a buyer closes in the fall, turns on the air for the first time the next summer, and it doesn't work. Nobody knew, because nobody runs the AC in October.

Other things winter can hide

The roof. Snow cover can keep the inspector from seeing shingles, flashing and valleys.
Grading and drainage. Frozen or snow-covered ground makes it harder to see which way water runs.
Decks, patios and walkways. Cracks and rot can hide under snow.
Pools and sprinkler systems. These are usually closed or winterized, so they can't be run.

None of this is a reason not to buy in the winter. It's a reason to plan for what you can't see.

What winter does show you

Winter is actually a great time to check some things. The furnace is running under real load. You can feel drafts and cold rooms. Ice dams along the roof edge can point to attic insulation or ventilation problems. A basement that stays dry through a winter thaw tells you something too. Walk the house slowly and pay attention to how it feels, not just how it looks. Ask the seller for a year of heating bills, too. Winter is when those numbers matter most, and they tell you a lot about insulation and windows.

How to cover the gaps

Ask for records. Request the age of the AC and furnace, plus any service records. The data plate on the outdoor unit usually shows the manufacture date.
Get a visual check. An HVAC contractor can look at the condenser and the indoor coil even if they can't run it.
Ask for a home warranty. If the seller will pay for one, take it. That's the simplest backstop for a system nobody could test.
Note it in the offer. Talk with your agent about how to handle items the inspector couldn't check, so you aren't relying on a conversation that never made it into writing.

Set the inspection up for winter

A few small steps help your inspector see more. Schedule the inspection in daylight. Ask the seller to clear the walks, the area around the outdoor AC unit and any access to the attic and crawl space. If there's a fireplace, ask when the chimney was last cleaned and inspected, because a lot of buyers light their first fire the week they move in.

If the weather warms up before closing, ask whether an HVAC contractor can run the air for you then. Inspectors often suggest it, and a few warm days in late fall or early spring can give you an answer before you own the house. Build that possibility into your timeline when you write the offer.

Negotiate now, not in June

Once you close, you can't go back and negotiate over the AC. If the condenser is old and untested, that's part of the conversation now: a warranty, a credit or a price that reflects its age. We went through what's fair to ask for in our post on negotiating after the inspection in Mentor.

Mentor details to check

Look up the parcel on the Lake County Auditor's site for the real tax bill. If you're looking near the lake, winter is a good time to see how a house handles wind and weather, and to check the shoreline questions we covered in our post on lakefront homes in Mentor. And check the sump pump if the house has one. It's easier to ask now than to find out during the spring thaw.

Buying in the winter can work out great. Just go in knowing which systems weren't tested, get the information you can, and put a backstop in place for the rest.

If you're thinking about buying in Mentor this winter, schedule a time with me or someone on our team at 21mike.com.

Mike Ferrante
The Mike Team at LPT Realty
www.21mike.com
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