Last updated on March 10th, 2023 at 07:25 pm
Selling your home is always a process and can sometimes be stressful with all of the little details. In our area, finding a home with a wood or gas stove is very common, however, there are some major details that go into these heating sources. So if you are going to sell your home with a wood or gas stove, here is a tip for you to check out prior to putting your home on the market.
One major thing that has been getting called out by appraisers lately is the woodstove location or installation.
So, on the backside of your stove is a square or rectangular tag. On that tag, it states the clearance that the stove has to be from the wall on either side and how much of a hearth it should have.
And before you say “I had my stove professionally installed” let me just say we have been having a lot of appraisers call some homes with wood stoves and making the appraisal subject to an installation inspection. I have had several people that had the woodstove “installed by the builder before even moving in” that was installed wrong. Here is a great article on installation.
So, for your own safety and avoidance of any future problems, double-check your tag. Another little item that has been getting called is the beautiful black single layer stove pipes. They also need special clearance and are not suitable for connection to the ceiling without some special parts. And depending on the model that could fluctuate as well.
Now I am no wood stove expert, so the only advice I am giving you is to do some research as they have been a pretty common issue lately.
If the woodstove is the main source of heat, that can be a serious problem for your buyer’s loan. If it is not the main source of heat, what is commonly happening is that the home seller is having to have the stove removed and the hole in the ceiling fixed or covered or do some serious repairs.
Any way you look at it, it’s a huge inconvenience and a ton of extra stress on you the seller. It’s especially an issue while you are trying to get moved out and you “think ” you have taken care of all of the inspection issues that could have come up.
The bottom line: it may not hurt to do this inspection prior to even listing your home. Especially if you are not sure if you are in compliance. And if you are not or your stove is really old Idaho does offer tax incentives to upgrade your stoves. Check that out here.
So check your tags. Just FYI, gas stoves have tags on the back of them as well. Typically they can be closer to the wall. Also, your measurements come from the box of the stove, not the top lip that sticks out further.
We have always had good luck with Quality Stoves out of Post Falls, and Kuma Stoves in Rathdrum. I personally own stoves from each of them and have done business with both. We do have many other well-qualified stove technicians in the area if you want to shop a little.