Should I Replace My Home’s Windows Before Selling My Home?

Many of our clients, from Newcastle to Middletown, contact us to discuss the issue of replacing windows before putting their home on the real estate market. It’s common knowledge that house hunters care about windows. Windows play a major role in the energy efficiency and beauty of a home, so the state of your home’s windows can definitely be a deciding factor for those who are considering buying it.

If you’re grappling with whether or not to replace your home’s windows before selling them, we hope we can help you make a more informed decision!

Will My House Sell More Quickly if I Replace the Windows?

There are, of course, several factors that will impact how quickly your home sells. Everything from the specifics of your listing to the season of the year will play into the process. But there is data to support the replacement of old windows with newer, energy-efficient ones as one strategy for making your home more attractive to potential home buyers. As the folks over at Pella windows note, “A 2016 survey by the National Association of Homebuilders found that 87 percent of home buyers considered ENERGY STAR windows to be essential or desirable. Energy efficiency is an attractive quality because buyers do not want to purchase a home that will lead to them spend excess money on heating and air conditioning bills.” They go on to explain that the prospect of replacing a home’s windows is particularly daunting for most home buyers. On the other hand, sellers can factor the impact of the costs into their expected profits.

Is It Worth the Investment To Replace My Home’s Windows?

Sure, replacing your windows may result in a speedier process. But the biggest question that most homeowners have about using this strategy for selling a home more quickly is whether there will be any return on the investment. Pella has answers here, too. They explain: “According to the National Association of Realtors 2016 cost vs. value report, homeowners who replaced their windows with new energy-efficient windows on average saw a return of 72% of the project cost upon resale.” So, the answer is that while you will see a partial return on your investment, you will not necessarily recoup all of the cost of replacing new windows.

The fact that you won’t see a 100% return on investment does not mean that you shouldn’t replace your home’s windows, though. In fact, 72% is a pretty great return, especially if you’re anticipating turning a profit on your home’s sale or if you need to sell your home quickly.

Do I Have To Replace All the Windows Before Selling?

Replacing old windows needn’t be an all-or-nothing approach. Many homeowners decide to upgrade just a portion of the windows in their home before putting it on the market. Perhaps new bedroom windows would be just the ticket to making you are upstairs more attractive to buyers, or maybe upgrading the windows on your front porch will ease a buyer’s fears about peeling paint or drafts. Strategically identifying one area of your home for replacement windows is a great strategy to make your home more energy-efficient and quell buyers’ fears about having to invest too much of their own money in replacements.

If you’re ready to replace some or all of your home’s windows to boost its appeal on the real estate market, contact us to discuss how we can help!