Buying Strategy on Property with Ancient HVAC

[Lee G.]

I found a single family property that I am interested in, however the HVAC is over 20 years old.   I was planning to live in it for 2 years and then turn it into a rental.  I've been through this before and would rather go ahead and have the new HVAC in place before turning it into a rental because I know first hand of the headaches of a dying HVAC unit.  

I'm estimating that the HVAC would cost between $6k-8k.  I would love to hear opinions on how you factor in aged HVAC into how much you would buy this property for.   This property has lots of upside potential and I'm thinking that the price that the sellers would agree on is $115,000.  My thinking is that this house will not need significant repairs for 10 years after the HVAC is replaced.   

Also, would it be a good negotiating strategy to get the house under contract and then after inspection ask for a price adjustment for the aged unit?