Air conditioner tips for home buyers & sellers

It sure is hot out there, Texas! How do you know if that AC in the home you're buying or selling is up to par?

As Air conditioners are being put through their paces in this heat, you might wonder, as a seller, how your AC will fare at a home inspection - is it worth it to get a tune-up? And as a buyer touring a prospective home, you may like to have some signs to look out for that may indicate a home's AC has problem.

Here are 5 signs that a home inspector may discover an AC deficiency

1   The condenser is noisy. If the AC seems too loud, makes a loud buzz, or can be heard from far away, there may be an issue. Units should be

relatively quiet.

2   AC runs continuously. For example, if the AC is set to 72, but the actual temp stays higher, like at 78, this could mean it's not cooling well enough to get to the temperature set on the thermostat.

3   There's a lot of vegetation or debris outside at the condenser. Vines, grass, or debris like grass clippings could be restricting air flow.

4   Unit is not sitting level or has no pad (resting on ground). An AC that is not level not can cause undue stress on the motor. An AC on the ground may either not be level, or is getting damage related to ground water, lawn mowers, and more.

5   Water is dripping from a pipe above a window (in modern homes). This likely means that the auxiliary catch pan in the attic is full and the primary drain is not functioning properly.

​As a bonus tip: check the info sticker that should be visible on the exterior of the condenser unit. Take a photo or note the serial number and brand name. Go to http://www.building-center.org/hvac-table-of-contents-2/ and search the brand to find out the age of the AC.

Of course, there's no need as a buyer to do any of this yourself - you can sit back and let your home inspector look for these problem signs and more. But hopefully these tips give you a small way to evaluate homes, especially if you're deciding between multiple homes to put an offer on.

For sellers, these tips should allow you to assess whether you should get a quick tune-up or repair from an AC technician before your potential buyer's home inspector finds any issues.

Hope you found our tips useful, & keep cool!