Selling an Oilheat Home

In Lancaster County about 30 percent of residences — thousands of homes — still heat with oil. With those numbers there is a good chance you’re listing one of these homes or will soon. Sometimes you might encounter a prospective buyer who prefers a different kind of home comfort system or expresses outright objections to purchasing an oilheat home.



HEATING OIL: THE BENEFITS

Despite some lingering misconceptions, heating oil actually offers homeowners several key advantages:

Control. You own your fuel supply, and it’s on your property at all times. You decide when to buy it and when to use it.

Efficiency. Modern oilheat systems have come a long way. In fact, they now offer efficiency ratings as high as 95 percent. Bonus . . . an oilheat system works well with a smart thermostat which drives down heating costs during winter.

Flexibility. When it comes to choosing a fuel provider, you have options. You can shop for an oil company based on price, service, reputation, local ownership or whatever else is important to you.

OVERCOMING SOME COMMON OBJECTIONS

As a Realtor, you may have heard buyers offer up a range of misgivings about oilheat homes. Here are a handful of the more common ones, along with options for overcoming the objection:

“I’m worried heating oil isn’t safe. What if the tank catches on fire and burns down my house?”
Actually, oilheat is a safe fuel that will not explode or ignite in its liquid form. You could drop a match in an oil tank and it would extinguish.

“Homes that heat with oil smell like oil.”
The truth . . . a properly maintained system should NOT emit odors. In fact, an odor is the warning an oilheat system gives you when it needs service.

“What if I run out of oil in the middle of a cold snap?”
The reality . . . when you work with a reputable provider, you’ll have access to an automatic delivery option which means you’ll never run out of fuel.

“The walls behind the radiators in an oilheat house are always dirty.”
Radiators offer moist heat which makes the air feel warmer and prevents overly dry conditions in your home. One byproduct is that dust in the room sticks to walls because of that moisture, but it easily wipes off.

ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE

Given the percentage of oilheat residences in the Lancaster region, area Realtors will either be listing these homes or showing them to prospective buyers for the foreseeable future. By understanding the benefits of oilheat — and having some key points to allay common, often misplaced concerns — Realtors will be better positioned to serve their clients.

Jennifer Goldbach, The Rhoads Energy Family of Companies

Facts, opinions and information expressed in the Closing Comments Blog represent the work of the author and are believed to be accurate, but are not guaranteed. The Lancaster County Association of Realtors® is not liable for any potential errors, omissions or outdated information. If errors are noted within a post, please notify the Association. Posts represent the author’s opinion and are not necessarily the opinion of the Association.