I may be buying a house that was built in 1967. Inspection found most of the heating ducts are in bad shape and should be replaced. For a 1,700 square foot house, single story, duct access is in the crawlspace beneath the house -- would replacing the duct system be several thousand? Over $10,000? I realize you can't give a precise answer without inspecting the house, but I am just looking for a very ballpark estimate to give me an order of magnitude.

And if the current ducts are insulated with asbetos liners, there would be additional cost to have a specialty firm remove the asbestos, no?

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

Yes to asbestos... and yes to a few thousand dollars to replace ductwork. Might want to contact and get some quotes before you buy.

yes to asbestos... and yes to a few thousand dollars to replace ductwork. might want to contact and get some quotes before you buy.

Thanks much, I'm going to try to get two or three bids. I appreciate the quick response.

In most cases it's the responsibility of the seller/home owner to make the home worthy and ready to pass inspection for selling,, but you didn`t ask this question

In conventional real estate sales, it is the seller's responsibility. However, this case is a "short sale" which means the bank is selling it because the owner has defaulted on the payments, and it is sold "as is." With inspections in hand, the bank may be willing to reduce the price but they are not responsible for any problems.