TASK DEFINITION: Given a passage and a query based on the passage, generate an unambiguous, concise and simple answer to the query from information in the passage. Note that the answer may not be present in exact form.
PROBLEM: Unfortunately, air conditioners don’t live as long as people, and in the brutal conditions of Phoenix, Arizona, air conditioners can have remarkably short lives without proper care and maintenance. The average lifespan of an air conditioner is anywhere from 8 to 15 years, but it’s hard to say exactly how long any given air conditioner unit will last. The Biggest Factors in Air Conditioner Lifespans Certain factors can influence how long your air conditioner survives, including the size of the air conditioner unit, your duct design, the amount of use and how much maintenance your unit receives. This allows you to control the flow of cooled air into each room of your home, keeping you more comfortable, and allowing your air conditioner to work more efficiently. Your central air conditioner is designed to last anywhere from 15 to 20 years. While there’s a good chance it may last far longer, especially if you’re meticulous about maintenance, there are still some very compelling reasons to replace it. Air Conditioner Use. Like anything else with moving parts, the more you use your air conditioner, the faster it’s going to break down. No matter how good the unit, the more it runs, the sooner it will need to be replaced. Heat pumps -- If you have an electric heat pump heating system, plan on replacing the exterior unit after about 16 years. Thermostats -- Expect your home's thermostat(s) to last about 35 years. Electric radiant heaters -- The most common of this type of room conditioner might be baseboard heaters. The impact of these items can be minor by themselves, but when several parts of the equation are out of whack, your air conditioner may have a very short life. How the different factors can affect your unit: Air Conditioner Size. The size of your air conditioner affects how efficiently it works, as well as how frequently it switches on and off. The Lifespan of a Central Air Conditioner. Per the United States Department of Energy, the average lifespan of a central air conditioner is about 15 to 20 years. Some units may continue operating well beyond the 20-year mark, and others may need to be replaced before the 15 years has passed. How Long Does a Central Air Conditioner Last? Posted on February 8, 2017 by Glen Feurst Whether you’re buying a home with central air already installed or you’re thinking about replacing your elderly HVAC unit, it’s important to understand that a central air conditioner isn’t designed to last forever. Twenty years ago, the brand-new central air conditioner units that were available had an average SEER rating of about 12. Today, new systems have an average SEER rating that ranges from 16 to 18, which is far more efficient. The Biggest Factors in Air Conditioner Lifespans. Certain factors can influence how long your air conditioner survives, including the size of the air conditioner unit, your duct design, the amount of use and how much maintenance your unit receives. Ducting -- The NAHB estimates that the ductwork in your home should last about 10 years. A report done by InterNACHI might be more accurate on this HVAC component: their study indicates that ducts should function properly for 60 to 100 years. Query: how long does a central air conditioner last

SOLUTION: A central air conditioner lasts 15 to 20 years.

PROBLEM: If the change in behavior is very obvious, then a cat owner or breeder might be able to make an approximate guess that ovulation occurred 1-2 days ago and use that date (the 2-days-ago date) as the estimated start point for the cat gestation period. How long does pregnancy last? Pregnancy (or the gestation period) lasts for 58 to 63 days in queens. Individual cats may vary but you should inform your veterinarian if your queen's pregnancy exceeds 64 days. What should you feed her during pregnancy? During pregnancy your queen should be on a well balanced diet. How to Tell if a Cat is Pregnant. The typical gestation period for cats is about 9 weeks, and a pregnant cat will begin to display telling physical and behavioral changes soon after becoming pregnant.http://www.cats.org.uk/uploads/docume... The Reproductive Cycle in Dogs. In order to answer the question, how long are dogs pregnant, you first need to understand the dog reproductive cycle. Intact female dogs go into heat approximately every six months, although this can vary depending on the dog and the breed. The heat cycle lasts 18-to-21 days and is broken into four distinct stages. So you were a little slow in having her spayed and your cat turned up pregnant, or a pregnant stray adopted you. Perhaps you are working with a rescue group and this is your first fostering experience with a pregnant cat. Where do you go from here? Your first major decision is whether or not to allow the pregnancy to continue. Gestation Period. A female cat that is sexually mature (after the age of 6 to 12 months) and has heat cycles can get pregnant is she meets a male cat. The gestation period is 9 weeks or 63 days. However, this is only an average; the cat may give birth earlier (as early as 58 days after the fertilization) or later (67 days after the fertilization). Ordinary domestic short-hair and long-haired cats are very fertile. Litter size averages four or five kittens. For some reason, Siamese cats also have larger litters. Persians and other fancy breeds tend to be less fertile. One thing you can be relieved about is that you won’t have to deal with the annoyances of a female cat in heat during that time. A cat will not go into heat again until after the babies are born. Caring for Your Cat During Gestation. It’s important to make your pregnant cat as comfortable as possible during gestation. On average, feline pregnancy lasts for 63-65 days but can be anywhere from 58 days to 70 days long. In 'real money', that's around nine weeks. Gestation, Incubation, and Longevity of Selected Animals David Crystal, The Cambridge Factfinder Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998 (84). Online animal encyclopedia Query: how long do cats gestate

SOLUTION: The gestation period of cats is 9 weeks or 63 days.

PROBLEM: While this method of bidding can be a good academic exercise, it can consume a great deal of time (new paperwork must be executed for each subsequent offer) and it can be disappointing if another buyer's bid is accepted before you find the lowest net return to HUD. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is the FHA's parent agency and it offers many homes for bid purchase. HUD homes range in condition from very poor to excellent, and all come with clean titles free of past liens. HUD also uses a specific process to determine the final bid price it will accept on one of its homes. HUD Home Pricing When HUD takes a home into its inventory it has a HUD-approved real estate appraiser go through it. HUD expects higher offers for newer listings, although bids on new listings can be lower than the list price. If you find a home you want to bid on that has been listed for 90 days or longer, HUD might accept less than 85 percent of the listed price. We suggest that you submit a reasonable, but low offer first â say 65% of asking price. If there are no other bidders, HUD will counter with a number they will accept. The counter offer HUD sends out is the NET amount they will accept, so you have to add the Determining the Minimum Acceptable Bid for a HUD Home. by Mike on November 2, 2007. In order to buy a HUD home, your offer has to meet two criteria. First, your offered price has to beat your competition. Second, your offer must meet the super-secret HUD minimum acceptable bid. If the home has been listed for three months or more, you will have more bargaining power. The low-ball offer is a safer strategy in this scenario. If the listing is new on the market, HUD will generally accept 85 - 88 percent of the list price as net proceeds to HUD. This means if you offer an amount that allows them to net more than 85 percent of the listing price, there's a good chance they'll accept your offer. See the 88 percent strategy below. At that time, when a property first hit the HUD list, the minimum bid was 87% of list price. However, the minimum bid dropped to 80% after 60 days. Which brings us to the second point–the minimum bid is a function of time on the market. When the housing market hit the skids, the HUD minimum bid calculation changed. By the time that Rob and I bought The Loft (click here for the name explanation), the How can I buy a HUD home? Answer: Read our section on how to buy a HUD home. Then look at the listings of HUD homes available. If you find a home that interests you, you'll need to contact a HUD-approved real estate broker (most brokers are HUD-approved), who can submit a bid for you. Successful bids are posted right on the page for your state. For more information, you may also contact our FHA Resource Center by email at answers@hud.gov or by phone at (800) CALLFHA. For insured homes: 1  15 day owner occupant, government agencies, and non-profit only bid period. The first ten days of this bid period HUD collects all the bids and subsequently reviews them on the next business day. Thereafter for the next five days, HUD reviews any bids received the following day. HUD allows your agent to put up to 5% commission you have to agree to that. So if the listing price is $100,000 HUD will allow basically $83,000 net to them. Ok you have $3,000 agent commission and probably and figure 1% for closing fees to be safe. If you ask for HUD to pay any of your closing cost that come out of the net. Query: how low of a bid will hud accept?

SOLUTION:
If you find a home you want to bid on that has been listed for 90 days or longer, HUD might accept less than 85 percent of the listed price.

