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I am buying a house and during the house inspection the moisture in these pictures was found on the inside of windows in two bedrooms on opposite sides of the house. I know nothing about these kinds of things and appreciate it is probably impossible to say what the cause of these stains are without a contractor investigating. That said I would appreciate anyone who can advise me as to most likely causes and critically, whether this is something to be unduly concerned about.
The house is 2.5 years old and is in Los Angeles (where we get very very little rain). Is this a big deal or likely something minor?
There were no other window stains but there was this stain under a heating/cooling unit on the 1st floor:
When the seal leaks on a double pane window it can become filled with moisturized air in lieu of an inert filling such as dry nitrogen. Condensation happens when the temperature drops below the dew point.
I had a house that was initially built with cheap double pane windows, and over time, may developed condensation. My guess is that is your situation.
In this case, it’s above the glass/window and appears to be sizable stains, in different rooms so you really need to determine the cause which could be condensation from a pipe above or a roofing or siding issue.
Without careful inspection, it would be impossible to guess as to the severity of the problem or the cost to resolve it.
The good news is that’s it’s visible and not painted over or covered up and that your not having to deal with it as the owner of a new house!
Thanks. I wonder how I should proceed. I'm thinking of asking the owner for the reason for the stains and as long as they confirm in writing that there are no serious issues, would most of you be satisfied with this? Again, I am just curious how concerned others would be by this in a home buying process.
I'd want evidence that the problem has been repaired, not just the owner's opinion about whether or not it's serious. This is separate from any window fogging. As Ricksin said, it's could be a roofing or siding issue, or an internal leak from piping above the stained spots. Since it's in 2 different rooms, I'd suspect an exterior source.
"I am buying house" as in - you are dead set on buying it?
House has serious issue with water leak inside the house. What will happen, it will have mold and drywall/framing will rot. What, down the road, will cost you pretty penny to tear outside to get to the inside, replace rotted pieces and fix it.
Either do not buy it or, make purchase contingent on proper assessment and repair done by seller.
That repair is THOUSANDS as it is and will be much more, later down the road.
"I am buying house" as in - you are dead set on buying it?
House has serious issue with water leak inside the house. What will happen, it will have mold and drywall/framing will rot. What, down the road, will cost you pretty penny to tear outside to get to the inside, replace rotted pieces and fix it.
Either do not buy it or, make purchase contingent on proper assessment and repair done by seller.
That repair is THOUSANDS as it is and will be much more, later down the road.
Thanks. The seller agent actually just sent us this email through our agent:
"As you may know, the home is still under a 10 year warranty for everything structural; this transfers to new ownership. One item, the windowsill, is already being repaired under the warranty"
I plan to confirm what exactly the issue is and what the repairs are but would this 10 year warranty allay your concerns if you were in my shoes? It is not the window still where the stains are but I am assuming the stains around the window is what the seller agent is referring to.
I'd want evidence that the problem has been repaired, not just the owner's opinion about whether or not it's serious. This is separate from any window fogging. As Ricksin said, it's could be a roofing or siding issue, or an internal leak from piping above the stained spots. Since it's in 2 different rooms, I'd suspect an exterior source.
Agree. This isn't a minor windowpane condensation issue! I'd be getting back to the seller regarding a repair estimate or price reduction/credit.
Thanks. The seller agent actually just sent us this email through our agent:
"As you may know, the home is still under a 10 year warranty for everything structural; this transfers to new ownership. One item, the windowsill, is already being repaired under the warranty"
I plan to confirm what exactly the issue is and what the repairs are but would this 10 year warranty allay your concerns if you were in my shoes? It is not the window still where the stains are but I am assuming the stains around the window is what the seller agent is referring to.
If it were a simple fix, I’m sure it would have been resolved before showing the house and personally, I would not ever want to depend on a house warranty company to provide contractors to repair to their standards. There usually never up to mine or probably yours. Most times they are just “band aid” repairs by contractors who aren’t capable of getting honest work on their own.
It could be an expensive and timely procedure just to determine the problem and then you will need a proposed solution and obtain prices. Leaks in different rooms and the sellers are passing it along to a home warranty?
Take it as a blessing and move on, IMO!
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