Electric Wall Heater

[Azamora36]

I have a small 625 square foot one bedroom unit. It got appraised for a conventional refinance and was told it needs a heater. I was told either gas or electric was fine.

There's two electric wall heaters at Home Depot. One is 4000 watts and states it convers 400 square feet and the other is 4500 watts and it states it covers 1,000 feet. Would any of these be acceptable?

 

[Azamora36]

These are the 2 wall heaters I'm looking at

 

[andrew81]

what is typical in your market?

in my market it is typical to have a few electric baseboard heaters, one for each room, living/kitchen area, bedroom, and bathroom

 

[Azamora36]

I don't know what's typical in my market.

 

[andrew81]

i thought someone from california more familiar with the market would have responded by now.

for conventional (fannie mae) lending the appraiser is to report the impact on value, but, does not require installation of a heating source, unless the property is unlivable due to lack of heat. in my market a home without a permanently installed heat source is unlivable due to cold winters.

given that you do not have a heat source, i assume the climate is warm year-round (above 50) and maybe only a space heater is needed a few day or weeks a year. this could be acceptable in your market.
i would ask the person directing you to install a heater. ask friends, family, neighbors, call realtors and ask what type of heat is typical for 625sf homes. look on zillow at listings and see what type of heat is installed.

electric baseboard heaters are lower priced than the ones you posted, also they can be controlled in each room providing zoned heating.

good luck

 

[Tim The Enchanter]

Your screen shots say Whittier, so I'll assume you are around there. For a 625 SF unit this would probably be fine.
I don't work Whittier so not sure if is typical, but it is common for small places like that here in Reseda. It think your climate is similar.

Suggest you take a look at Realtor.com to get an idea what is typical. Or talk to your neighbors, is it a condo?
Or talk to some real estate agents or appraiser that work Whittier about what is typical.
I doubt a central HVAC system is typical for that small a size, but you might wish for some cooling too while you are spending your money.
Summer gets hot.

Edit. You should be getting a licensed contractor and permit for the install. They should be able to give you some answers.

 

[MaxTheHouse]

Wall heaters are definitely common in many older homes and apartments in northern CA. And I've lived in apartments in Norcal with wall heaters probably 20 years ago. It's always better to have too much power rather than not enough as they heat unevenly. I agree on the install recommendation as you don't want to mess around without an electrician/contractor and permits.