First-Home Q&A · 13 of 13
Fall brings more listings and more inspection appointments. Here is what to check on heating and insulation before the winter arrives.
Why the heating system, and why now
Houses around Boston are often old, and buyers routinely miss the replacement timeline for a boiler or furnace. A New England winter is long and cold. An aging heating system turns into a large expense in the very first season.
In the heating section of the inspection report, look at three things:
- The year the equipment was made — the starting point for how much life is left
- Recent service records — whether anyone has been maintaining it
- Fuel type — oil or gas. It changes both the monthly cost and your options later
“Near the end of its serviceable life” does not mean broken. It means a budget line with a date on it.
If it burns oil, check the tank
Many older single-family homes around Boston still heat with oil. Ask the inspector explicitly whether the oil tank is indoors or buried, and what condition it is in.
A leak from an underground tank is expensive once discovered. It belongs on the list of things settled before closing, not after.
Insulation — attic and windows first
Insulation matters as much as the furnace. Thin or aged attic insulation raises winter heating bills and causes ice dams — snow on the roof melting unevenly, ice building at the eaves, and water finding its way inside.
Check whether the windows are original wood frames or replacements. Old wood windows are handsome, and they let the winter in.
Turning the findings into negotiation
Heating and insulation findings are leverage after the inspection. With documented deterioration you can ask for a repair credit or a price adjustment.
Organizing the expected replacement timeline item by item strengthens your position considerably. One caveat: Massachusetts inspectors are barred by regulation from pricing repairs, so get contractor quotes inside the inspection window. Why that is, and the order to read a report in, is in reading a home inspection report.
In short
Fall inspection season is the time to look hard at heating and insulation before winter. Open the heating section first, check the tank if the house burns oil, then the attic and the windows.
I attend inspections with clients and go through the report in Korean and English. Send a request.
Questions
Common questions
What should I look at in the heating section of an inspection report?
Three things: the year the equipment was made, its recent service records, and the fuel type — oil or gas. Boston-area houses are often old, so buyers miss the replacement timeline for a boiler or furnace, and a New England winter is long enough that an aging system becomes a large expense in the first season.
Is there anything special to check in an oil-heated house?
The oil tank's location and condition. Ask the inspector explicitly whether the tank is indoors or buried, and what state it is in. A leak from an underground tank becomes expensive once it is found, so it is something to settle before closing, not after.
Sources
Written by Diana Yeji Kim — REALTOR® at eXp Realty, serving Greater Boston in English, Korean, and Japanese.
← All articles