How to make an offer on a house whose AC is very noisy.

10 years ago

The house is about 9 year old. I like most aspects of the house but the AC is significantly noisier than other houses' AC. I still want to make an offer.. but I don't want to pay for replacing AC or fixing the noise. How should I make the offer?

So as I was walking along the canal which is right behind this house's backyard, I noticed a very noisy AC sound and it was coming from that house. Comparing with other houses, the sound was much noisier as expected

The AC is right next to the Master's bathroom window which is facing one of the sides (not backyard). The bathroom is followed by a walking closet and then followed by the actual Master bedroom. Master bedroom window faces the backyard. So the AC is around the corner from the backyard, on the side of the house.

I am going to check in person tomorrow to see how much of that noise is heard inside the bedroom and bathroom.. but I have little hopes that it will be quite (the neighborhood is known for being quite and I like it that way)

Even if the noise is bad either in the master bedroom or/and in the backyard, should I still make an offer? Are there cheap ways to fix it? Should I include conditions in the offer such as replacing or fixing the AC unit?

Advises please. I am first time buyer..

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Comments (6)

egbar
10 years ago
if everything else is good for you, don't let the AC stand in the way. You can make an offer contingent on them repairing or replacing the AC due to the noise, or you can offer whatever price you need to in order to be able to afford to fix or replace the air conditioner yourself after the sale. Check out how much it would cost to repair/replace the air conditioner by talking to a couple companies that specialize in such work. Then you will know how much you can afford to offer and still have the work done. best wishes
lazy_gardens
10 years ago
It could be something as easy to fix as a damaged compressor fan blade, or as expensive as a compressor bearing and the whole compressor needs to be replaced.

Ask for a report from a licensed HVAC contractor and an estimate on repair costs.

Assume worst case and that the outdoor unit needs to be replaced. The bulk of the expense in HVAC is the installation and the ductwork ... replacing the outdoor half is a matter of bleeding off the coolant, disconnecting things and bringing in a new unit.
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User
10 years ago
You can certainly create some contingencies in an offer that will take care of the issue. BUT.....you have to realize that if the problem (or another one) reared it's head 1 week after closing, and it involved replacing the whole system, or any other system like the roof or windows etc, that you'd be responsible for doing so. That's what home ownership is about. If you as a first time buyer would either be stripping your savings to get into this house, or the note is such that you can't save for a fund to pay for such problems that WILL arise during your ownership, then this home isn't for you. Negotiating a bit off of the price might happen, or it might not. You have to be able to afford the repair on the home either way.
brickeyee
10 years ago
"It could be something as easy to fix as a damaged compressor fan blade"

Or just a missing screw (or two) from a sheet metal cover.

hollysprings gives good advice above.
dreamgarden
10 years ago
"It could be something as easy to fix as a damaged compressor fan blade"

The house we bought had an older furnace/air conditioner (12 yrs+?).

A storm had brought a tree limb down on the top of our air conditioner and dented a blade.

We weren't aware of how noisy it was because we purchased the house in Feb.

Fast forward to summer. We had the side of the house excavated and needed to move the air conditioner. The HVAC guy the waterproofer used to do this said the unit was old but still had some life in it. Said we could save money by just replacing the blade. $45.00 plus installation. I could have hugged him. ;)
morz8 - Washington Coast
10 years ago
I don't think your concerns should be that difficult to address. It's not that uncommon to ask for an inspection of the heating/cooling system with your offer. With the house I've just sold, it had been 18 months since I'd had an 'annual preventative inspection' on the heat pump, air cleaner, cooling. The potential buyers asked, and I agreed I wanted to offer a functioning house. (actually their home inspector could not figure out how to make the electric back up heat come on, he didn't know how to use the computerized thermostat). I called the heating/refrigeration company who had originally installed it and had always done the service, they came the next day, left their inspection report in duplicate, in writing. The fee was $194 for the service call, no repairs or parts needed - they were happy and my conscience clear :)