Selling a home that has been reliably heated by fuel oil should be no different from selling a home that uses natural gas for heating. In some cases, a real estate agent or a buyer might insist that the oil heating system be converted to natural gas before the home can be listed or a purchase can be made. You may be willing to do this for convenience to the agent or as a favor to the buyer, but don’t feel pressured to make a costly conversion because of a mistaken belief that it’s a requirement.
If you’re told that you must convert the home’s heating system from oil to gas, temporarily delay the sale and investigate your state and local requirements. Consult with your local trusted HVAC contractor or with a real estate attorney. It’s highly unlikely that there are legal or regulatory requirements for converting oil heating systems to natural gas before selling a home.
Here are some other factors to keep in mind when selling an oil heated home:
- Consumer support organizations such as the Consumer Energy Council of America note that it can be financially prohibitive to covert oil heating to a gas heating system.
- Soil samples around an underground tank aren’t required as a condition of selling your home unless the tank is suspected of having a leak.
- An underground oil storage tank can be replaced with a top-quality above-ground model for much less than a complete system conversion.
- Beware of soil testing that might have a vested interest in selling clean-up or remediation services.
- Maintain a transferable tank service contract that covers clean-up of oil leaks and that can be transferred to the buyer of your home.
Griffith Energy Services, Inc. has provided more than 100 years of professional oil and gas HVAC sales, service and installation in the Mid-Atlantic region. Contact us today for more information.
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