Buyer’s Market, 100-Degree House: How to Negotiate HVAC and Drainage Without Killing the Deal

Vincent Bellonzi (512) 762-5912, Austin Property Doctors www.austinpropertydoctors.com

Austin is still a buyer’s market. Inventory is elevated, price cuts are common, and inspection contingencies are back. That is the good news for your buyers.

The other headline this week is the weather. Central Texas is sitting under a Heat Advisory, with highs near 100°F and heat-index readings around 108–110. Cooling systems that “got through summer” are still running at peak load. That is exactly when HVAC and drainage findings show up in inspection reports — and exactly when a sloppy repair request can stall a contract.

Here is how to use those findings without turning a workable house into a dead deal.

What this week’s weather is actually doing to the house

A 100-degree afternoon is an HVAC stress test. Inspectors are not guessing when they write up a weak temperature split, a rusted secondary pan, a tripped float switch, or a condenser sitting off-level on clay. The system is either moving heat or it is not.

Drainage is the twin issue. Late-summer soil is often dry and pulled away from the slab. Then a Thursday-style pop-up storm dumps water against the foundation. Agents see both in the same week: an AC that cannot keep up and negative grade, clogged downspouts, or standing water at the corner of the house.

Those two items drive the largest, most emotional repair conversations in this market. They also have the cleanest path to a credit — if you frame them correctly.

Separate “must fix” from “must price”

Not every HVAC or drainage comment belongs on the amendment.

Usually worth a real conversation

• Condensing unit or air handler at or past typical service life, with poor performance under load

• Temperature split well under the 15–20°F cooling range on a hot day

• Active condensate backup, rusted-through secondary pan, or a float switch that has already tripped

• Furnace/heat pump that will not fire or has a cracked heat exchanger (safety)

• Standing water against the slab, downspouts dumping at the foundation, or obvious negative grade on expansive clay

• Evidence of repeated water intrusion tied to poor drainage (staining, soft trim, musty crawl or interior corners)

Usually not worth blowing up the contract

• Filter that should have been changed last month

• Condenser coils that need a wash

• Minor rust in a pan that is still intact and draining

• Hairline mortar or sheetrock cracks with no related drainage or elevation problem

• “Recommend evaluation by a licensed HVAC contractor” on an otherwise performing mid-life system

Your buyer does not need the seller to replace a 6-year-old condenser because the inspector noted dirty fins. They do need a plan if the unit is 16 years old, the split is 9 degrees, and the house is 78° at 4 p.m. with the thermostat set to 72.

How to negotiate HVAC in this market

Sellers already expect HVAC talk. More than half of active listings have taken a price cut. Repair credits after inspection are normal again. Use that. Do not write a novel.

Option A — Seller repairs before closing Best when the system is unsafe, not cooling, or the buyer’s lender/insurer will care. Require a licensed HVAC contractor, not a handyman. Ask for invoices and a statement that the system was tested under cooling load.

Option B — Closing credit Best when the unit works today but is old, undersized, or clearly near replacement. A credit lets the buyer choose the equipment after closing and avoids a seller installing the cheapest box that will pass a re-inspect. In this heat, “it cooled the house during the inspection” is not the same as “it has five good summers left.”

Option C — Price reduction

Cleanest when there are multiple big-ticket items (HVAC + drainage + roof). One number is easier for a tired seller than a punch list.

What usually kills the deal is a repair amendment that reads like a full system replacement spec: new 16 SEER two-stage, new ductwork, new pad, new lineset, new thermostat. That is a bid, not a negotiation. Ask for a dollar amount or a licensed evaluation plus a credit range. Let the contractor’s report set the number.

How to negotiate drainage without sounding like a foundation alarmist

Drainage language in an inspection report scares sellers because they hear “foundation.” Sometimes that is fair. Often it is a $400–$2,000 grading and gutter problem that is cheaper than a fight.

Keep the request tight:

• Extend downspouts several feet from the slab

• Regrade soil so water falls away from the house

• Clear or repair gutters

• Fix the one low corner where water stands after a storm

If the inspector noted related foundation clues — sticking doors, stair-step brick cracks, slab separation, or a clearly unlevel condenser pad on heaved soil — then you have a larger conversation. That is the moment for a structural or geotech referral, not a 14-item cosmetic list mixed in with “add splash blocks.”

Do not bury a real drainage problem inside 40 other nits. Sellers stop reading.

A simple script for the listing agent

You can send this almost verbatim:

The inspection found the AC struggling under today’s heat and drainage directing water toward the slab. We are not asking you to replace the house. We want one of three things: (1) a licensed HVAC company to correct the performance/safety items and a simple grading/downspout fix, (2) a closing credit of $X so the buyer can handle both after closing, or (3) a price adjustment that reflects those two systems. Happy to use the contractor’s written estimate as the number.

That is how you keep the file moving in a 100-degree week.

What buyers should not waive this week

Option periods are available again. Use them. A cooling system that looks fine at 9 a.m. on a 78-degree morning can fail the same afternoon when it is 100 outside. If the inspection was scheduled on a milder day, ask whether the AC was tested under load. If it was not, that is a reason to go back or to get an HVAC specialist out before the option expires.

Same for drainage. If the yard is bone-dry on inspection day, have the buyer walk the perimeter after the next storm — or at least look at grade, gutter discharge, and the soil line at the slab before they release the option.

How listing agents can get ahead of this

If you are listing this week:

• Change the filter and run the AC for 24 hours before the inspection

• Clear two feet around the condenser and make sure the pad is reasonably level

• Pour a hose at the downspouts and watch where the water goes

• Fix the obvious grade and gutter issues before photos and before the buyer’s inspector arrives

A $200 gutter afternoon beats a $6,000 credit conversation after the buyer has already fallen in love with the house and then read page 18 of the report.

Bottom line for agents

This is a buyer’s market and a heat-advisory week. HVAC and drainage are the two findings most likely to show up, most likely to be real, and most likely to be solvable with a credit or a focused repair — if you do not turn them into a remodel.

Negotiate the systems that affect safety, comfort, and the foundation. Leave the rest off the amendment. That is how the deal closes before the next 100-degree afternoon.