No Heat Upstairs

[Barry Kirsch]

Just inspected a farm house, everything was fine... except they don't have heat on the 2nd floor... in the winter they just close off that part of the house.... are they any guidelines for reporting something like this?

Thanks!

 

[Bill_FL]

Is this typical for the age and style home?

I have run into this on some older farm homes that relied on the natural convection of heat to the upper floors via open registers. Infact, I grew up in one.

I disclose this in the appraisal, but go ahead and list the second floor. (Otherwise in the ones I had done, there would be no bedrooms). The comps I found were similar old farm homes and I could always located one or two that also had no central heat upstairs, and adjust others as needed.

 

[Ron in AR]

If it isn't typical for the market and the 2nd floor should have heat, call it functional obsolescence and adjust based on a cost to cure.

 

[Tim The Enchanter]

If it isn't typical for the market and the 2nd floor should have heat, call it functional obsolescence and adjust based on a cost to cure.

Yep. Then wait for the callback. Hopefully asking for a 442, they installed the heat.

Mine have been NO heat source. Finished one today.

 

[Richard Carlsen]

Just mention it in the report but count the area in the square footage.

I would not call it functional as most of the really older farm houses in our area do not have heat upstairs. It is therefore typical of the market.

If the UW wants heated rooms, just tell the owner that those plug in electric units fill the bill to a "T". After you have dutifully gone out, seen that the units are there and sent your invoice for $75, the homeowner can unplug them and store them away.

 

[Pamela Crowley (Florida)]

Plug in heaters are personal property.

 

[Phil Rice]

It depends on the market.


If you can find comps (even just 1) that are the same, go with what the market tells you.

I do not include unheated space in my GLA calculation. For me to include the space, it needs to have a permanent heat source, not something pluged into the wall. Which raises a good point. Do they have electricity on the second floor?

As always, the main concern is to disclose, and to compare apples to apples as much as possible.

 

[Charlotte Dixon]

"Problem Solvers" that's what we really are. I also have appraised farm houses with all bedrooms on the second floor and no heat up there. I note subject to: One permanent baseboard electric heat strip to be installed in 2nd floor hallway. So, they don't like heat up there? I can relate.

 

[Stone]

Plug in heaters are personal property.

I did some looking into these a while back for the same reason we are discussing here. I found that there are some plug in units that you can attach in a way that they are more or less fixtures. Some wall unit air conditioners (not window) are plugged in instead of wired directly, and they are definitely not personal property.

 

[Mike Simpson]

Michael-

It depends on how the 'plug-ins' are attached, and the owners intent when installing these units.

If they can be unplugged and walked off with I should believe Pamela is correct...they'd be personal property.

-Mike