When we looked at homes with old mechanicals we factored in replacement cost in considering what we would offer. I would probably not replace the systems if I were in your shoes, but just understand that people will factor the present conditions into the price.

Do you have the AC serviced and inspected yearly? Having an inspection report stating the furnace is in fine working order will help a lot in selling.

When we were looking for houses we loved one place that had a 40 year old furnace. We had an inspection and were told that the furnace was perfectly fine. (Unfortunately roof and electrical was a nightmare). Conversely, when we bought this house we knew the furnace needed to be replaced. And that was factored into the selling price. Our furnace guy told us we were living on borrowed time (and I'm lucky the furnace "lived" for 2 more years!)

On a side note, your equity line will need to be paid off when you sell your house. I seriously doubt your lender will let you transfer it to the new house.

I sold a 1965 home in 2003, and the furnace was original. It sold well, but I made it look super clean.

I scrubbed the floor, and vacuumed the rafters in the basement, took automotive cloths and cleaned the outside of the furnace until it shined. I replaced the filter, and cleaned out the humidifier and placed a new filter in that too. I placed extra hanging bulbs (about $4 fixture) around the furnace with 23watt fluorescent bulbs to make the area look bright.

The furnace looked old, but everything around it sparkled and it did not cause any issues.

I too did not replace it because it was very inexensive to maintain, and though it was only 50% efficient, the cost of upgrading would take 11 years to recoup due to the size of the house, and the low cost of gas at the time.

Excellent suggestions. We haven't had it inspected or serviced...frankly, I didn't know we should. We just turn it on and it works. We're not exactly "handy" about some things.

Do you at least clean the filters?? At least do that or put new ones in the units.

I second what sas95 said here - "When we looked at homes with old mechanicals we factored in replacement cost in considering what we would offer".

We inspected everything when we looked at our home and asked for age, service records, etc

We do change the furnace filter. We haven't been able to open the cover on the humidifier since we bought the house, and just kind of gave up trying. We don't know if it still works.

The HVAC's made in 1973 are, in many ways, head and shoulders superior to HVAC's made in 2014. Today's systems are purposefully designed to have a lifespan of about 10 years whereas yours is still going strong after 40 years!

I would not replace a perfectly good system before listing. Just have your service records available for buyers to view. If they're concerned, they can always adjust their offer accordingly.

Thanks so much all of you! We'll have it serviced and inspected, starting immediately, and keep records. This eases my mind about it considerably.

When we had our thirty year old furnace inspected a few months ago the guy said it was much better made than newer ones. It was one of the first Pulse furnaces made and they are so efficient that the manufacturer made some changes to improve sales. FWIW

If it ain't broke, don't replace it. We just bought a home built in 1973. What I loved was that the home came with a warranty, if something breaks I just call the warranty company and they send someone right out to fix or, and here is the value to your buyer, if they can't fix it they replace the system. It was less than $500 (sellers paid) and it covers a whole host of things, including HVAC. As the buyer I just have a $100 deductible. Two weeks after we bought the house the 20+ year old water heater stopped working. Only cost me $100 buck to get a new one. Friday night the AC stopped working. Whatever the problem, I know that it won't cost me more than $100 bucks because of the warranty.

kjdnns, Can you tell me the company the home warranty is through? I've seen some really bad reviews on some, but your company sounds like a winner! Thanks!

HMS, hmsnational.com I've never had a problem with them.

Just beware on the home warranty front--in a situation like this, some companies will ask for documentation of regular servicing of the system over the years before covering a claim if it does break, and if it hasn't been regularly serviced (even if it hasn't needed anything), they will deny it. You'll want to be cautious if you're selling it as coverage for the old system, though it sounds like HMS is better on this front than some of their competitors. (Better alternative: just offer it as a plus for a buyer with no claims as to what it will or won't cover; they can read the fine print and work that out for themselves if desired.)

Good point, thank you artemis. I'm a little bit embarassed that, until this, I never knew you were supposed to service them. I guess that's stupid, everything needs maintenance. I mean, you service your car when there's nothing wrong with it. But it just never occured to me or my husband. I guess this is what comes of buying your first home at nearly 40 and being a lifelong renter. Someone else always took care of that.