Just as when you buy a car, you ought to look under the hood, so too, should you look beyond the pretty kitchen and living room décor, says Ken Justo owner of ASI Heating & Air Conditioning.

Justo says very often heating and air conditioning systems are overlooked when buying a home. "People are more concerned with what the countertops look like," says Justo. He adds, "And then they move into the house and they find they can't be comfortable in their own home -- now, it's a major concern to them."

Knowing what to look for and having experts inspect your heating and air conditioning systems regularly could save you lots of money and headaches.

Justo says for starters, "Make sure the air conditioning unit that's sitting in the yard is safe. Especially if you have children, you want to make sure that they can't stick their fingers into the louvers."

With a furnace, Justo says be leery if it's a couple of decades old. "If you have a furnace, say, over 20 years old. It's kind of like driving a car on bald tires. It's one of those things where it works, but do you want to put your family in the car with those tires to go get groceries? And the answer is typically no," says Justo. He says the average life of a furnace is typically 20 to 25 years.

It's important to check the furnace not only to make sure it's heating properly but also to make sure that there aren't any carbon monoxide leaks. "A lot of the older furnaces lack the safety components that are available today in the newer furnaces. The newer furnaces have a lot of safeguards to protect the family," says Justo.

A heating system is usually the kind of appliance that is only purchased once or twice in a lifetime. "So, it's one of those things, don't wait until it breaks because when it breaks, you have the potential for fire, carbon monoxide, things like this. You're better off replacing it on your terms," explains Justo.

Having the proper electrical circuit setup is also critical. Justo says that it's important to make sure the breakers and circuits are properly protected. "Especially an air conditioning system or a furnace is really best on its own dedicated circuit," says Justo.

Making sure city codes are followed could save you other costly expenses. "If you buy a home with a furnace or an air conditioner that's illegally installed, now you're in a situation where you go to replace it, the city inspector may not pass it," says Justo. He adds, "Having a product that's installed to code so that you're not left holding the bag a year later or three years later is very important."

Check the placement of the furnace. "If you've got a two-story home and your air conditioning/heater/furnace system is located on the first floor, there's a very, very good chance that it won't cool the second floor properly because so many systems were designed … for heat only application," says Justo. Hot air rises because it's much lighter than cool air. Justo says what can happen is, "You put in an air conditioner and it won't air condition very well for you because the furnace doesn't have the capacity to move that heavier air to the top floor," says Justo. It's best to call an expert to test the heating and air conditioning systems. Sometimes even if you can feel cool air coming out of registers there still could be a problem with the system. For more information visit, asiheatingandair.com

An overall check of the heating and air conditioning systems will give you the opportunity to know what maintenance or repair expenses are likely to come up in the future.