Window Issues! How Agents Can Help Their Sellers Upfront.
Foggy or faulty windows can either point to a structural issue, or can sometimes be viewed as a cosmetic repair needed on a home. Prior to listing a home and scheduling an inspection, it can be very advantageous to identify and have a professional evaluate any window issues that may be present.
Advising sellers to address or, at minimum, get the problems look at before listing can avoid a slew of red flags being set off to prospective buyers.
Before you list, what your Sellers should know:
- First impressions! Buyers wonder…if one window is faulty, are there more that will be soon? What else might be old or faulty in this house?
- Efficiency Concerns. Faulty windows can result in reduced energy efficiency. Buyers are reviewing utility averages and costs as this is a major factor in their ability to afford and maintain the home themselves.
- What is lurking beneath? Damaged wood is really scary for buyers. A water trap is any surface that is not sloped downward away from the wall and allows rainwater to sit until it evaporates. These areas soon develop spots of wood rot and, if left unrepaired, allow water to enter the wall and begin to rot the wood framing. And then mold…ahhh!
- Inspection Reports. Inspectors should be reporting all visible window seal issues. Windows either function as intended or they don’t. A failed weather seal is a failed window in need of repair and/or replacement. Get ahead of the inspection report if you know there may be an issue. This allows you the seller to get estimates and make the right financial choices vs. being rushed to get all required repairs done in order to get to closing on time.
- Keep repair options open. Foggy glass can often times be repaired, wood replaced, etc. If sellers wait to explore this option after an inspection report, prospective buyer may instead push for a full window replacement instead. What’s is worth to them in the end to maintain a good selling price?
- Inspect your own windows before listing. All window are tested during an inspection. Do they all open? Are they difficult to open? Are any locks missing? Are any screens missing? If the seller has big furniture in front of a window, or bric-a-brac on the window sill, sometimes Inspectors can’t risk moving the belongings to test the window.
Checking a listings windows functionality upfront and working with a qualified Indianapolis window repair company can save lots of money and time, and most importantly ensures your Sellers that you are helping them get the most out of their listing and avoiding big surprises.
Contact Indiana Residential for a free window evaluation of your listings.
