When a buyer is looking at a home they want to know about the big four:  Foundation, Electrical, Mechanical, and Roof.  The big ticket items are the most stress-inducing parts of an inspection for most buyers, and let’s be honest, agents, too.

I have no doubt that you’ve looked at an A/C unit or furnace and thought to yourself, “That doesn’t look like as new as the disclosure said.”  If you look at enough houses you’re bound to experience that.  You may second guess, “Maybe  that was the disclosure for the last house.”  But, you have some concerns.

How do you find out the age of the unit?  It’s easy and you can do it in three steps:

1. Locate the data plate
   • On an A/C unit, it is often on the opposite side of the nameplate for the brand
   • For furnaces, you would usually need to remove the cover
   • A water heater data plate is usually on the front of the unit
2. Find the serial number
   • 
     
3. Google this:  “Age code for (brand) A/C”
   • 
4. Click on the Building-Center link
   • 
5. Match the code format and use their description to determine the age
   • 

This method should work for most of the A/C and Furnace units.  It will also work for most water heaters.  However, there may be times when a data plate will stump you.  But, you now know how to identify the age of most of them.