window heat/air unit questions

[Debra]

I came here to see if other appraisers are counting thru the wall heating/cooling system similar to those found In motels and/or window air/heat units as adequate heat source. In particular for the following 2 situations:

1. went to an older property yesterday that the front (original 1200 sq. ft.) of the house is heated with floor furnace and air window units. The back portion of the house that was added around 1950 is 400 sq. ft. and is heated with a window unit that heats and cools. There is no plumbing in the back part of the house.

2. I had a realtor come check out my older property because I want to sell it soon. Along with other things that he said needed to be done before I sell is to add 4 feet baseboard heat to the upstairs (finished attic) bedroom so that he can advertise the upstairs room as a bedroom.....he insisted on baseboard heat. He said that adding a window heat/air unit would not be enough for him to advertise it as a bedroom. It currently has no permanent heat but I've wondered why couldn't we could just put a thru the wall heating/cooling system up there or a heat/air window unit as opposed to baseboard heat? It has a window unit for air. Also, heat rises so it doesn't get very cold up there anyway and there is no plumbing up there (it does have a closet).

What are your thoughts on these two situations?

 

[Walter Kirk]

In my opinion window units are personal property, not fixtures. I agree that the installation of electric baseboard heat is an acceptable heat source, I installed baseboard units in my own beach house as a quick and cheap way to qualify it as a year round dwelling.

 

[Mike Garrett RAA]

If it is a thru the wall unit it becomes a fixture and is not personal property.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

why couldn't we could just put a thru the wall heating/cooling system up there or a heat/air window unit as opposed to baseboard heat? It has a window unit for air.

A cheap baseboard heat system will work very well. And Garrett is correct. It becomes a fixture when attached.

 

[TxArmadillo]

If it is a thru the wall unit it becomes a fixture and is not personal property.

Mike, I've seen people use this "pass thru the wall" with a window unit air conditioner/heater. You could literally remove it with four long screws. (In this case, they did -- there was literally a whole in the wall where the portable air conditioner should have been.)

So, it is more than how it's mounted. You also have to look at what the actual use of the product is SUPPOSED to be.

 

[Renee Healion]

A strip of 4 ft electric baseboard is about $40. $20-30 for a T-stat, depending. And something for the installer. Pretty simple and cheap and it is accepted as permanent heat.

 

[Mike Garrett RAA]

I concur that in most cases electric baseboard is the most economical and cheapest way to add heating. As to the issue of "only four screws and easily removed" that might be true but...it's still considered a fixture. My AC compressor is also "easily removed" but it also is a fixture!