Whether you’re selling your home or buying one, there’s a good chance a home inspection needs to occur. Typically, the buyer requests the home inspection. It is very common to find windows in the home with broken seals.
The home inspection phase is critical. There are a variety of common home inspection issues you might run across, but they’re not necessarily deal breakers. The good news is many issues in home inspections can be sorted out beforehand, or even remedied before the buyer sees the issues. Getting your home inspected before listing it for sale can be the best preventative medicine in many cases. See our related post on the benefits of getting a pre-sale home inspection.
However, it’s important to know what you can deal with, what you want to walk away from, and how to go about deciding either factor. During home inspections, it is fairly normal to see loose outlet receptacles, a double tapped circuit breaker, deteriorated caulk and grout, as well as broken window seals.
Broken Window Seals
Courtesy of Randr Glass , broken seal replacement
When you’re looking at houses, you might run across properties where the windows are hazy, or even foggy. Failed window seals aren’t signals something is wrong with the structure; fortunately, they are a cosmetic issue above all else. While you might not be very concerned about the window panes, there’s good reason to ask for the glass to be replaced.
Most window seals will last 10-15 years, but many fail thanks to age. There are a variety of other reasons window seals can fail, too. Other reasons might include movement, deteriorating framework, pressure washing, things hitting the windows, and pressure changes due to the weather.
When the window seals are broken, there are several signs. If you can see fogging between the panes, you have reason to believe the seal in the window is broken. They might have water droplets between the panes as well. This is also an indication that the window seal is broken.
Concerned About Broken Window Seals?
As a buyer, there are many ways you can remedy broken window seals, especially with the help of your realtor or buyer’s agent. The real estate professional can advise you on how to proceed. This includes negotiation with the seller regarding who will pay for window repairs.
Even though foggy windows aren’t eye-catching in a good way, they’re not going to harm the utility of your windows. They’re also not related to structural issues in your home, and they shouldn’t affect your utility bills. Which is to say, don’t worry about broken window seals running up your heating bill in the winter. This cosmetic issue can be fixed.
Here’s a quick run down of questions to ask regarding the windows with broken seals. These questions can help you determine who will fix the windows as well as the cost.
- Are the windows under warranty?
- What is the size of the window pane?
- Are they double panes?
- Location of the window: is it first floor, second floor?
- How easy is it to reach said window?
he best situation for everyone is if the windows and/or glass is under warranty. We just had 19 windows replaced under the window warranty at a minimal expense to our client. If there is no warranty, you should have a reputable glass company like Tarheel Glass or Rice’s Glass come measure the windows and give you a quote for the cost to replace the glass. This quote should be given to the seller with the buyer’s request for repairs. When having glass replaced, make sure that the new glass has solid rather than hollow spacers. This is the new manufacturing standard and the glass should hold up longer.
Real Estate Experts
If you’re considering selling or renting your home we are happy to do a walk through to let you know what you need to do to get ready for the market. Real Estate Experts’ home sales and property management teams can help you assess necessary repairs.
If you have any questions about your windows, or broken seals on windows in a potential home, we can help you assess what your options are. As always, feel free to reach out to us at 919-813-6449 or send us an email to [email protected] to find out more about living in the Triangle, and visit realestateexperts.net to view current homes for sale in the area.