If you are in the market to purchase a home, it can be easy to
fall in love at first sight. Do so at your own risk. While the
overall appearance of a home is important, the quality is in the
details. In this article, I provide a checklist of window issues
you should consider when viewing a home.
Windows
If you are considering buying a home, you should have a
checklist of things to review for the property. There is an old
cliché that eyes are the window to a person' soul. In the case
of a home, they can be a clue to the quality of the home
building if you check the following:
1. The first item to check is whether the windows open and close
properly. Quality windows should slide easily and with little
noise. Cheap windows tend to stick and make grinding noises. If
any window will not open or close at all, careful attention
needs to be paid to why. Is it the quality of the window or has
the house started moving because of foundation problems? Make
sure you know the cause.
2. The second item to check is soft or mushy sills at the base
of the window. Often you can identify a soft sill by a "rotted"
look, but make sure to run your hand across the sills with light
pressure to see if there are any soft spots. If you find a
problem, warning lights should be going off in your mind. A
mushy sill means there is a water penetration problem. More
importantly, it also means the problem has existed for some
time. Long-term water problems can mean the existence of mold
and mold can be an expensive problem to fix. If you are really
interested in the home, demand an inspection paid for by the
seller. If the seller refuses, walk away from the home.
3. Water stains are the final window item to check for during
your viewing. Just because the sills are not soft, doesn't mean
there isn't a leakage problem. Stains around a window frame are
sure signs of water problems. If a room has been painted, try to
find one that hasn't. If the entire interior has been painted,
ask the seller to state in the sales agreement there were no
water stains before the house was repainted.
Windows are almost always an indicator of the quality of
workmanship for a home. Giving them a good "once over" should
tell you a lot about the house you are considering.
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