Purchasing a townhome/AC upgrade

Deadfall

I am in the process of purchasing a lovely little townhome (I've been told that townhomes are not wise purchases, but we love it, so...) and I have not entered a contract yet. I'm going today to put some money down to put it under contract.

These townhomes are a year old and mine is the model home, so it's fully upgraded (gorgeous counters, beautiful cabinets, cherry wood floors and banisters/railings, the works). This is in Colorado. The seller wants to put in an AC unit and the contract is that they will pay for half and we will pay for half. They are listing this cost at $4,000. Which means we'd pay $2,000.

The townhome is about 1200 square feet and is a 2 bed, 2.5 bath if that makes a difference.

Now, this is my first time purchasing, and I'm not even close to an expert on AC units, but $4,000 seems pretty high to me just for the unit. It has a thermostat and ducts and everything already installed, so this is just for labor and parts for the actual AC unit. There was even a sign on the thermostat when we took an Open House tour that said "Keep temp at 63 degrees" so I'm pretty sure it has a working AC in it already.

Should I try to get my own quote? In Colorado we seriously use an AC like two to three months out of the year, and my body's internal furnace is about as hot as it gets. A fan and an open window works most of the time for me.

Anybody have any ballpark idea on how much a good AC unit would run? I know $4,000 seems like change compared to the mortgage we are taking out , but I just can't get it out of my mind that I could find a better deal. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

RUNN1NGMAN

No idea on how much it should cost, but if they are talking about replacing the heat pump, then that is definitely something you need in CO because it will also be heating your home.

Deadfall

RUNN1NGMAN wrote: »

No idea on how much it should cost, but if they are talking about replacing the heat pump, then that is definitely something you need in CO because it will also be heating your home.

Would that be listed as "Heat Pump" on the contract? Because what I have right here says "Options/Upgrades: Air Conditioner - $4,000." Is a heat pump included in an AC? I seriously don't know much about this stuff because, well, like I said we don't use AC that much here.

Edit: I mean don't get me wrong, I'd be happy to put in an A/C because as Dogma has shown, central air is quite the luxury, and I could get used to being "cool" all year. I just want to see if it would be wise to get a quote elsewhere.

Djeet

Get your own estimate. $4K is not out of the question for replacing both the condenser/comressor unit as well as the evaporator, including installation and replacing lines. It 's certainly could be reasonable if the furnace is also getting replaced. It would depend upon the brand and capacity somewhat.

I'd handle this as cash back at closing and getting it installed yourself, that way you know you're not paying for a shoddy install or crappy units.

Ninyu

Maybe ask them if you can look into an evaporative cooler instead. Much cheaper to run and it almost does as good a job as an AC unit. I was skeptical (being from the east coast) about it when we bought the house but it works well.

Oh, I live in CO as well.

Deadfall

Djeet wrote: »

I'd handle this as cash back at closing and getting it installed yourself, that way you know you're not paying for a shoddy install or crappy units.

This right here is what I was thinking myself. I'm meeting with the selling agent today and bringing my own agent so I'll ask what exactly the 4k covers.

mts

was the townhouse inspected? unless the AC was inspected defective you shouldn't have to do anything for it. definitely find out what hte 4k covers and if it still seems high, get your own estimate, ask for credit at closing and do it yourself