- Hey, what's going on.
This is Seth Williams from the REtipster blog.
In this video we're going to be talking about
my recent experience of getting new windows installed
in one of my rental properties.
Particularly what the experience was like,
what the end product was like,
and how I was able to justify this kind of investment
for an income-producing property.
So stick around and we'll get into it.
(bell-like electronic tones)
Okay, so I wanted to make this video for two reasons.
The first reason is, I've owned this rental property
since 2011, and it's a pretty old building,
and the windows that I inherited with the property
have never really been great.
I think they're probably from the '60s.
I mean, they work, but not very well,
and they certainly don't look that good,
so I've always kind of wanted to replace these windows,
and this seemed like a really good opportunity to do it
and show you guys what the experience was like.
But the problem is, with a rental property like this,
it's kind of hard to justify sinking over 10 grand
into a property just to buy all new windows
when I don't really know when I'm gonna get that money back.
It's not gonna do great things for my cash flow
on this property, and it was really hard
to make the decision to say yes, let's spend
that kind of money when I didn't really know
if it was gonna increase my revenue at all,
and how long it would take to get that money back.
So that was kind of a dilemma I was having,
I kinda wanted to work through that with you.
But another reason I wanted to make this video
is to take you along for the journey
and show you what my experience was like
with a company called Window World.
And Window World, maybe you've heard of them before,
they're a pretty huge company.
They've got franchise offices in pretty much
every major market throughout the United States.
And the reason I wanted to pick them
is because chances are they're located somewhere near you,
and if you ever want to get new windows
either for your primary residence or a rental property
or whatever, you can kind of see
what my experience was like,
what the end product looks like,
and you'll just sort of have an idea
for what you'll be getting if you decide to do this
with one of your properties.
And granted, I think it really depends a lot
on what kind of window you want.
Window World has a few different tiers in terms of quality.
If you want to spend the least amount possible
there's a very basic type of window they have
called I think the 2000 Series.
I ended up getting the 4000 Series which,
to the best of my knowledge, is a pretty similar product
to the 2000 series, it just has some improvements
in the way that it's designed and constructed.
Window World also has a 6000 Series
which is like a top-of-the-line product,
say, if I was gonna replace all the windows in my home
that's probably what I would be getting.
Another thing I like about Window World
is the fact that they handle pretty much everything
in the process from end to end.
So there are a ton of window manufacturers out there,
I mean, there is no shortage of options,
but not all window manufacturers
will actually come and install the windows for you.
They'll basically just sell you the window
and it's kind of up to you to find a contractor
who's gonna do a good job and do it correctly.
Window World works a little bit different
where they'll actually come out
and measure the windows, price them,
go through all the different options you can get.
They actually manufacture them for you,
and then they even come out and install them for you.
And there's a lifetime transferable warranty
that comes with them.
So if the windows ever stop performing
the way that they're supposed to, they'll come out
and literally replace the windows for free,
which is a pretty good deal.
Now there are other window companies in my area
that can do a very, very similar thing,
Window World is not the only company that does this,
but the reason I wanted to just use Window World
is because I know that they're pretty much
the biggest outfit out there,
and there's probably one near you as well.
If I picked one of these Michigan-only companies,
that's obviously not gonna apply to you
if you're not in Michigan, so I just thought
Window World would be a good fit
for this kind of review that I'll be doing.
So what I want to do in this video is take you
along with me, I'm gonna go take a trip to the property
while the guy is there installing the windows.
I'm gonna just give you an idea
for what the windows look like before,
during the installation, and after the process.
You can kind of get an idea
for what these windows look like, how they operate,
and just the level of quality that you'll get.
So why don't you come along, I'll take you to the property,
and we'll get a better look.
(upbeat music)
All right, so this is what the duplex
looks like from the outside.
As you can see, it's not the prettiest property,
it could probably use a paint job.
I think that's gonna be my project for next year.
And just in terms of the windows, they're clearly
not the most current, up-to-date windows.
I'm not sure what year these things were installed,
but as you can see they've got these exterior storm windows
that the tenants have to monkey with,
and even then they're still not the most efficient
windows in the wintertime, so they're just definitely
out of date, and could certainly use some updating.
This right here was the inside of the bathroom window.
As you can see, the tenants put some kind of paper over it,
probably for privacy reasons.
The windows did open and close,
so they worked from that standpoint,
but pretty much everything else about them
was not the nicest kind of window to have to live with.
So you can see just from the outside
there was paint flaking off.
They're just definitely very old windows.
When I first got to the property
I saw this slider sitting out.
This window alone is about $700,
and the reason this kind of window is helpful
in this type of property is because if you see right here
there were these three windows side by side by side.
Normally if I were to replace each one of those windows
it would be about 350 bucks per window,
but something Window World can do
is instead of buying three windows,
you can just get one window like this slider
and replace them all in one shot.
And as you can see it lets in a lot more light,
so much that it kind of ruined the exposure for this video.
When I got to the property the installer had already
taken out a few of the old windows as you can see.
This is what the interior frame looked like.
I'm pretty sure there was lead-based paint on here
and he was having to work around that
by following some procedures and protocol.
Whenever he would take these windows out
he would have to put them in a plastic bag
like you see here before they put it in the landfill
just to make sure no paint chips or dust fly anywhere.
If you've got a property with lead-based paint
chances are it's gonna cost a little extra
to deal with that hassle.
As you can see here, it's pretty quick and easy
for the installer to get those windows in there.
I'd say it probably took him like, one minute per window
to just slide it in and put the screws in each corner,
so it's a pretty quick and easy process.
This particular installer was a great guy to work with.
He had to work around some hassles with the tenants
who hadn't taken down the hardware or moved the furniture.
He was a really fast worker, he just did a great job
and didn't complain about anything.
This is kind of what the windows looked like
when they were installed.
The windows that I got were double-hung windows,
which basically means you can adjust them
from either the top or the bottom if you want to,
and the nice thing about these windows is that they pivot
on these pins so you can fold both the top and the bottom in
and clean everything from the inside,
rather than climbing up on a ladder and washing them
from the outside if and when you ever wanna do that.
So it's kind of a nice little luxury to have
with these types of windows.
This is what those new windows look like
from the outside right after he slid them in.
As you can see, they haven't been wrapped yet.
Once he puts some wrapping on it
this is sort of what they'll look like
in the final, finished state.
So as you can see they're pretty sharp,
they look really uniform,
and kind of make the whole property
look a lot more well put-together.
This is what the side of the duplex looks like
with all of those new windows put in there.
Something else that was cool
was on each of the bathroom windows in this duplex
I was able to get what they call frosted glass,
so it's sort of an obscured look where you can't really see
in or out but it does let in all the same amount of light,
so if you want some privacy built in to the bathrooms
you can get this kind of glass and it works pretty well.
You don't even need to have curtains if you don't want 'em.
Another cool thing about these windows
is that the Window World logo is right on them,
and this can be really helpful just to identify that hey,
these windows are from Window World,
and if there's ever any question about where these windows
were manufactured, say if you want to use
the lifetime warranty to get a window replaced,
there's no question about who you need to call to do that.
I know the windows in my house don't have any branding
on them at all, so if I wanted to contact
the original window company about some kind of warranty
I can't even do that 'cause I don't know where they're from,
but with Window World they make it very clear
by putting their branding on all their windows.
And as you probably know, energy efficiency standards
have come a long way in recent years.
Anything manufactured today is a lot more efficient
than it was even just 10 or 20 years ago.
These are some of the numbers for the windows
that I had installed.
To be completely honest I have no idea
what any of these numbers mean, but I have to imagine
it's a lot better than the windows that were there before.
All right guys, so there you go.
That was my experience with Window World.
Hopefully you found that helpful.
Again, I gotta say, I think they're pretty great windows.
I was really impressed with the service that they provided.
It took about eight weeks from the day I ordered the windows
to the day that they were installed,
so it took a little bit of time for that to happen,
which wasn't a big deal.
So one other thing we obviously have to talk about
before this video is over is the cost.
From a cash flow standpoint,
does this make financial sense to do?
And if the numbers don't add up, is this something
you should do anyway or should you just go ahead
and live with the horrible windows
that you currently have in your property?
What's the answer to that?
Personally, just looking at my situation,
this property is in a pretty solid class C neighborhood,
so rents are not through the roof.
I don't make a fortune each month from this property
and when you look at adding new windows like this,
I would say, at the most, I might be able to increase rent
anywhere from like 20 to 50 bucks a month maybe.
And it's possible that I couldn't really increase it at all.
So it's not like there is a guaranteed higher income
as a result of ordering these windows.
However, I do think there are some other things to consider.
I'd say first and foremost, in theory,
from an appraisal perspective, installing new windows
in a duplex like this can potentially increase
the resale value, and there's actually some data
to back this up which I'm gonna link to beneath this video.
You can feel free to check that out.
To be honest, I don't really think that's a big enough
reason by itself to install windows like this
on an income-producing property,
but it is one thing to consider.
Another thing you can consider is how bad
are the current windows on your property in the first place?
Are they awful, like, are they broken?
Are they letting in tons of air, are they icing up
on the inside of the windows in the wintertime?
If they are just in horrendous shape,
then it may be something that like,
just to be a decent landlord you should do that.
Because it's really kind of a lousy thing to do,
and it sort of gives real estate investors a bad name
altogether, when landlords just leave their properties
in horrible condition and make their tenants
live through that kind of thing.
So that's another thing to consider.
If the windows are not in horrific shape,
if they're just sort of bad, then I don't know.
It may or may not be worth that.
Another thing to consider is the energy savings.
If you are the one who is paying the gas or electric bill
at this property, there is almost certainly gonna be
some kind of noticeable difference in that cost each month
as a result of getting these windows installed.
At least, that's the case in my situation,
because the comparison from the old windows
to the new windows was quite a leap in improvement.
Now if you aren't paying that bill, then I guess
that reason kind of goes out the window,
though it would also potentially help your tenants,
if they're the ones paying that bill,
have more cash flow and less likely to miss payments to you.
I think that's kind of a wishy-washy reason.
I'm not sure that I would really base it just on that,
but it's something you might want to consider.
And if none of those reasons are good enough,
another thing just to keep in mind
is that having high quality windows
could potentially give you better options in tenants.
If you're in any kind of market or economy
where good tenants are hard to come by for some reason,
having really nice new windows is gonna make your property
look and feel a lot nicer and just be a lot more functional
when people can open windows and when windows
do the job they're supposed to do.
And if you want to have your pick of the best tenants,
good windows can be another mark in your favor
in terms of making your property the kind of place
that people want to live in.
Now when you look at the downsides
of getting new windows in a property like this,
to me there's only two real downsides that come to mind,
and the first one is a huge one, and that is the cost.
As we've talked about, it's just really hard
to cough up this kind of cash for new windows
and justify it from a cash flow standpoint.
Now, granted, if your rental properties
are in a market like New York City or San Francisco,
then it's probably an easy decision
if your windows are in really bad shape.
If you're in a market like mine, where adding new windows
doesn't necessarily give you a huge benefit
in terms of cash flow, then it's a lot more questionable.
Ultimately, it's something that you have to decide
for yourself based on the cash flow numbers
you're currently getting and how much the windows
are gonna cost in your situation.
I can't tell you definitively that, yes or no,
it's worth it, but hopefully some of those pros and cons
just give you an idea for what the good
and the bad of the situation are.
And the only other downside I could think of
is just the hassle of it.
I mean, first of all, meeting the person
to get your windows measured,
and then also getting the installer in a couple months later
to install the windows, if you've got tenants
that are in the property or if you're living in the property
you kinda have to work around each other
and make room for them.
It just sort of comes with the package
when you're doing new windows like this.
But anyway, I hope you guys got something out of this video.
Hopefully you kind of benefited
just from seeing what my experience was like.
Again, you totally don't need to use Window World,
that's just who I used 'cause I thought it would be
a pretty relevant, applicable company
to most people throughout the U.S.
The windows turned out great, I think they look beautiful.
And if you ever want to work with them,
they're probably a pretty decent outfit to work with, so.
Anyway, thanks again for sticking with me.
I appreciate you watching,
and hopefully I'll talk to you again soon.
See ya.