By John Martino, Master New Jersey Home Inspector
LookSmart Home Inspections

One of the questions I hear regularly during a home inspection is, “How much longer do you think this has?”

It might be a roof, furnace, boiler, central air-conditioning system, or water heater. The equipment may be working perfectly well on the day of the inspection, but the buyer wants to know what really matters: Am I likely to be replacing this shortly after I buy the house?

After more than 24 years inspecting homes throughout New Jersey, I’ve learned that age matters, but perhaps not in the way many home buyers think it does.

There is no magic birthday when a roof, furnace, or water heater suddenly becomes bad. At the same time, ignoring age because something is working today can leave a buyer unprepared for significant expenses after closing.

The important thing is to understand the difference between current operation, overall condition, and remaining service life.

Working Today Does Not Mean New

Suppose I inspect two houses with conventional water heaters. The water heater in the first house is three years old. The one in the second house is 14 years old. Both provide hot water when I test them.

From a functional standpoint, both operated during the inspection. From a home buyer’s standpoint, however, they are not the same.

The older water heater has already provided many years of service. It might last several more years, or it could begin leaking next month. A home inspection cannot predict exactly when that will happen.

That is why I try to determine the approximate age of major equipment whenever possible. I want my client to understand not only whether something works today, but where it may be in its overall life cycle.

How Long Should a Roof Last?

Roof age is one of the biggest concerns for many New Jersey home buyers, and for good reason. Roof replacement can be a significant expense.

But asking how long a roof should last does not always produce a simple answer.

The type of roofing material matters. Installation quality matters. Ventilation matters. Sun exposure, roof orientation, tree cover, maintenance, previous repairs, and weather exposure can all affect how a roof ages.

Two roofs installed in the same year may not deteriorate at exactly the same rate.

During a home inspection, I look at the approximate age of the roof when that information is available, but I also look at its actual condition. I consider visible wear, deterioration, repairs, flashing, penetrations, drainage, and conditions visible from the attic when accessible.

An older roof that is performing adequately is different from an older roof already showing significant deterioration.

There is another consideration today that buyers should not overlook: homeowners insurance.

An insurance company may have its own underwriting requirements concerning the age and condition of a roof. A roof does not necessarily have to be leaking to become an insurance concern. Depending on the carrier, an older roof may result in additional questions, an exterior inspection, requests for documentation, or requirements for repair or replacement.

For that reason, when I find an older roof, I encourage my clients to discuss it with their insurance company before closing. A home inspection and an insurance company’s underwriting decision are two different things.

Furnaces and Boilers Can Last a Long Time — Until They Don’t

New Jersey has an enormous variety of heating systems. I inspect gas-fired furnaces, boilers, oil-fired equipment, heat pumps, and systems that have been operating for decades.

Older heating equipment can sometimes surprise people with how long it lasts.

I have inspected older boilers that were still operating satisfactorily and newer equipment that already needed repairs. That is why I would never recommend replacing a heating system simply because it reached a particular age without considering its condition.

But age still matters.

As heating equipment gets older, the probability of repairs generally increases, replacement parts may become more difficult or expensive to obtain, efficiency may be lower than modern equipment, and eventual replacement becomes something the buyer should financially anticipate.

During the inspection, I look at the age when it can be determined, visible condition, maintenance indicators, operation, distribution of heat, venting, and other accessible components.

If a 20-year-old furnace is working properly, I will tell my client that it worked. I will also explain that it is an older system and that current operation does not predict how much service life remains.

Those two statements can both be true.

Air Conditioning Is Particularly Difficult to Predict

Central air-conditioning systems are another major expense that buyers often ask me about.

An air conditioner can produce cold air during an inspection and still be well along in its service life. Conversely, an older system that has been properly maintained may continue operating for years.

Climate and usage affect these systems. So do installation quality, maintenance, refrigerant issues, coil condition, and the relationship between the indoor and outdoor equipment.

I test air-conditioning equipment when weather conditions permit and observe whether it is producing conditioned air under the conditions present during the inspection. But a home inspection is not an engineering analysis, and I cannot predict exactly when a compressor, fan motor, control board, or another component will fail.

For a buyer, the important question is not simply, “Does the AC work?”

It is also, “How old is it, what condition is it in, and should I be financially prepared to replace it?”

Water Heaters Deserve More Attention Than They Usually Get

Water heaters are easy for buyers to overlook because they are often tucked into a basement, utility room, garage, or closet.

I pay attention to them because failure can involve more than losing hot water. A leaking tank can cause substantial water damage depending on where it is located.

I look at the approximate age, visible condition, installation, safety components, signs of leakage or corrosion, and whether hot water is being produced when the system can be tested.

Again, age provides context.

A relatively new water heater with no visible problems represents a different near-term financial risk than an older unit showing corrosion at its connections or staining around its base.

That does not mean the older unit will fail tomorrow. It means the buyer should understand what he or she is purchasing and budget accordingly.

Sometimes It Is the Combination of Ages That Matters Most

This is something I think home buyers sometimes miss.

One older component may not concern me very much. But what if the house has an older roof, an older furnace, an older central air-conditioning system, and an older water heater?

Everything may be working on inspection day.

The problem is that the buyer could be purchasing several major systems that are all entering the later portions of their service lives at approximately the same time.

That changes the financial picture of the house.

A home does not need to have a major defect to become expensive to own. Sometimes the expense comes from normal replacement of aging components.

This is one reason I believe a good home inspection should help a buyer understand the house as a whole rather than simply produce a collection of individual defects.

Maintenance History Matters

Age is more useful when I can consider it together with maintenance history.

A heating system that has been professionally serviced every year may tell a different story from one that appears to have received little attention. A roof with documented installation information and proper repairs provides more information than a roof whose age nobody can establish.

When purchasing a home, I encourage buyers to obtain available invoices, installation records, warranties, service records, and other documentation for major systems.

This can help establish actual installation dates and may also reveal useful information about repairs and maintenance.

It is particularly important to determine whether warranties are transferable to a new owner. A newer roof or piece of equipment may have warranty coverage, but buyers should not assume that coverage automatically transfers with the house.

When significant improvements have been made, available municipal permit and inspection records can also provide useful information about when work was performed and whether required permits and inspections were obtained.

Life Expectancy Charts Are Guides, Not Expiration Dates

You can find charts online telling you exactly how many years a roof, furnace, air conditioner, or water heater is supposed to last.

I think those charts can be useful as general planning tools, but they should not be treated as expiration dates.

Homes do not work that way.

I have inspected components that failed prematurely and others that continued operating well beyond a typical life-expectancy range. Installation quality, maintenance, usage, environment, manufacturing quality, and sometimes simple luck all play a role.

That is why I prefer to put age into context rather than tell a buyer that something has exactly three years or five years remaining.

Nobody can know that.

A Home Inspector Cannot Predict the Future

This is an important limitation of any home inspection.

I can tell you what I observed. I can often determine approximately how old something is. I can explain whether it is operating and describe visible conditions that may affect its performance.

What I cannot responsibly do is guarantee how long it will continue to operate.

A furnace that works today could fail next week. A 15-year-old air conditioner could operate for several more seasons. A roof that looks satisfactory today can be damaged by a storm next year.

The purpose of discussing age is not to predict an exact failure date. It is to give the buyer enough information to make an informed decision and prepare for realistic future expenses.

Think About the House You Are Buying Five Years From Now

When I inspect a home for a buyer, I am obviously concerned with its condition today. But I also want my client to understand what ownership may look like after closing.

If several expensive components are older, I think that matters even if none of them requires immediate replacement.

A buyer who understands that a roof, furnace, air conditioner, and water heater are all older can plan for those expenses. A buyer who only hears “everything works” may be surprised when normal aging catches up with several systems within a relatively short period.

That distinction is important.

After more than 24 years inspecting homes, I do not believe the goal of a home inspection should be to make an older house look frightening. Older houses can be excellent homes, and older equipment can continue providing useful service.

The goal is to understand what you are buying.

When I tell a client that something is older, I am not necessarily saying it is defective. I am giving the buyer another piece of information that belongs in the overall decision.

Because when you are buying a home, knowing that something works today is important.

Knowing where it may be in its life cycle can be just as important.

About the Author

John Martino is a Master New Jersey Home Inspector and owner of LookSmart Home Inspections. He has been inspecting homes throughout New Jersey. John provides independent, buyer-focused home inspections and helps New Jersey home buyers understand a property’s condition, major systems, potential concerns, and future ownership costs before purchasing a home.