Home heating with a pellet stove as primary, base board electric as secondary

[T Bone]

I'm tired of the hassle of rental properties and dealing with "good" people that are douche bags.

So, I'm in the process of evicting some renters from a 3 bed, 2 bath 2000 sf home. When I get them out, I'll clean and remodel where needed and sell.

The question is this:

Would a house with a primary heat source of a new high-end wood pellet stove and secondary heat of electric base board be a turn-off to prospective buyers?

Considering installing gas forced air heat, but the cost is about double that of a new pellet stove.

 

[BackofBeyond]

Just speaking from our own experience with house buying, but Wifey and I walked away from several houses 3 years ago that we would have tendered an offer on if electric baseboards weren't involved. I distinctly remember looking at others online and not even going to look for the same reasons.

I'm no expert, just my own experience.

 

[MarvB]

Tyson, I had pretty much that same setup in one of my first homes (though pellet tech has come a long ways since) and can tell you what used to ALWAYS turn off me and the Mrs that no matter how long it had been since last used (be it a day or the entire summer) everytime we utilized the backup baseboard heat the house would smell of burning dust and carpet fibers. It was just a dust magnet no matter how often we vac’d the place. Kind of defeated the purpose to turn the heat of and then open the windows to get rid of the stench. I vowed to never live in a place with them again (course I said the same vow after the Ex).

Good luck with the eviction, I managed properties as a side gig once and had to go through the process (in Cali) and wouldn’t wish it on anyone…exhausting!

 

[Deleted member 52098]

to me, no. we actually just bought a house with that exact setup. But I've also had a few places with electric baseboards and had no issue. Obviously forced air would be preferred - but not always possible in certain mountain homes.

 

[Western Traveler1]

I would go with the gas furnace. The last 3 homes we have owned had a furnace and wood stove. I think you are limiting your market interest. Not everyone appreciates the benefits of heating with a different heat source and will be calculating the effort/cost of installing same. Just as you are now.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I'm tired of the hassle of rental properties and dealing with "good" people that are douche bags.

So, I'm in the process of evicting some renters from a 3 bed, 2 bath 2000 sf home. When I get them out, I'll clean and remodel where needed and sell.

The question is this:

Would a house with a primary heat source of a new high-end wood pellet stove and secondary heat of electric base board be a turn-off to prospective buyers?

Considering installing gas forced air heat, but the cost is about double that of a new pellet stove.

Home insurance is usually quite high for anything wood burning. Electric baseboard is a HUGE turnoff unless you live in an arid environment. They heat the exterior walls directly which draws condensation. They are mold manufacturers! Can be a fire hazard too, especially if little kids are in the house. Also, electric heat in most places is getting pricey. Pay for forced air and put it on the sale price or you might have trouble selling the house to someone who knows something about home ownership. If it's a clunky "starter home," those shortcuts might work. Young people seldom know what they're getting into ... especially these days.

 

[RobG]

I wouldn't do it. My experience with renters is that most of them wouldn't want the extra work.

Who's paying the power bill? I just spent $6000 to replace a forced air furnace so electric may also be better for the landlord.

 

[T Bone]

I'm looking to clean it up, remodel what is needed and sell it.

The question is if a pellet stove would be a negative to prospective buyers.

 

[Nutrioso]

We bought a house with that configuration. Pellet stove was noisy, dusty, and hauling in pellets was a PITA. When you got it going full blast, it warmed the main room too much, but the rest of the house was cold. When you fired up the baseboard heat, you could watch the meter dials spin. Went to a heat pump system and would never go back.

 

[OntarioHunter]

We bought a house with that configuration. Pellet stove was noisy, dusty, and hauling in pellets was a PITA. When you got it going full blast, it warmed the main room too much, but the rest of the house was cold. When you fired up the baseboard heat, you could watch the meter dials spin. Went to a heat pump system and would never go back.

Good point. Wood burning stove is not "central heating." We had a wood/oil forced air furnace which was great (oil was actually dirtier than wood ... go figure). Insurance companies and govt regulators eventually made it untenable. Required that we replace the oil tank periodically no matter what. Our tank was in the basement to cut down on condensation but that didn't matter. Getting the tank out of there and another installed meant bringing it inside in pieces and welding it together. $$$! Insurance on a wood furnace kicked up the premiums a bit but nothing like standing wood stoves or fireplaces. Insurance companies DO NOT like fireplaces! Eventually my tiny late wife couldn't handle dealing with wood while I was working out of town. The govt offered rebates for switching to high efficiency furnace which essentially paid for the conversion and she went for it. Also, we couldn't put off insurance company any longer about tank issue.

 

[Deleted member 38069]

I’m gonna lean yes. Most people aren’t looking for anything different than WiFi controls.

The electric baseboards would cause hesitation as well. Simply because of little ones and/or fire hazards. Then again, it’s the closing of a seller’s market, so you might be able to sell as is.

 

[TimeOnTarget]

I have 2 corn stoves in my place. Basically free heat when I harvest food plots. But my insurance company was adamant that they not be a primary heat source.

Just something to think about.

I agree though, it would be a huge turnoff for most.

 

[2rocky]

I'm looking to clean it up, remodel what is needed and sell it.

The question is if a pellet stove would be a negative to prospective buyers.

Good question for a realtor. I'm a fan of Propane/natural gas and forced air, with a woodstove back up. Reason being if buyer wants gas kitchen stove, there is already a line to tie in.

 

[Huntalittle]

How is the home setup for Air Conditioning? There is where the big advantage of a forced air system is. Otherwise you are looking at mini splits or window units and all that hassle. We added a corn/pellet stove when we purchased a house with electric baseboard. Electric equals no air movement and cold. The pellet stove fixed that in 85% of the house but I would opt for a different setup from new if possible.

 

[BackofBeyond]

Is the NG available at the property or would you go propane?

 

[CUElk]

Agree with what most have said. Been around the construction business for many years. I don’t ever recall a customer saying during a remodel, I want to keep my baseboard heat. Most go with gas and a wood burner back up.

 

[Bambistew]

My folks have the exact same setup. It was a total PITA hassle to make sure the pellet stove was full every 12 hrs. If they left they'd have someone feed the stove. They don't even use it anymore, electricity is 75% the cost of pellets now. When pellets were $40/ton it was worth it. IMO they are completely obsolete as far as efficiency/cost now.

I would put in a gas boiler or forced air. No hassle, and no worries to keep her stoked.

 

[justdada]

A new modern pellet stove would not turn me off of a house. Not a fan of baseboard heat for the reasons listed above, but they would only need to be used when I was out of town and the stove was off.
I put a pellet stove in my detached garage and absolutely love it and only need to fill once a day at most

 

[buckbull]

I'd go with a mini-split before pellet/base board heat. Sounds like you are a DIY guy, they are easy to install. You just need a flaring tool and vacuum pump.

Edit: I don't how good mini-splits are at high elevation. They work great hear in the midwest.

 

[BirdManMike]

I bought a house with 2 wood stoves and a couple electric baseboards as the heating source(s) and Ive survived (thus far), so .