Replace Windows After Buying a House — Before or Right After Move-In
You just bought the house and the inspection report says the windows are done.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
To replace windows after buying a house, get every opening measured as soon as you have keys, order the whole house at once, and install before the furniture arrives if lead time allows, or room by room after you move in. JMB Builders does it across the Twin Cities metro and north to St. Cloud. Priced per project, every window listed. Send your inspection photos for a reply within one business day, or book a free in-home estimate.
- Priced per project, every window listed
- Measure as soon as you have keys
- Empty-house install when timing allows
The cheapest moment to replace every window is when the rooms are empty. No furniture to pull back, no blinds to take down, no one working from home in the next room. For new owners that window is short: between closing and the moving truck. Lead time decides whether it is possible.
So the order of operations matters. Send us the inspection report pages and photos now. Book the in-home measure for the day you get keys, or earlier if the seller allows it. The order goes in after the measure, and the lead time depends on the brand and is written on the quote. If the windows arrive before you move in, we install in the empty house. If not, we install room by room after, and each opening is closed the same day.
This page is for buyers planning the whole house. If you are the seller fixing items on a buyer's repair list before closing, that is a different page.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
What you supply
- The window pages of your inspection report, if you have it
- Access for the measure: keys at closing, or the seller's OK before
- Your move-in date and any rooms you need first
- Brand, color and glass choices for the house
- Paint colors — Painting is quoted as a separate line — or leave it primed and caulked and paint it yourself.
What JMB supplies
- Review of the inspection notes and photos before the measure
- One in-person measure of every opening
- A line-item quote by room, so you can phase it if the budget is tight after closing
- One order so every window matches
- Install in the empty house when timing allows, room by room when it does not
- Floor protection, daily clean-up and haul-away
- Photos of the finished windows in your job folder for your records
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Number and mix of windows, and any patio or entry doors added
- Insert vs. full frame for each opening
- Brand, frame material and glass
- Rot or water damage behind the old windows the inspection flagged
- Siding, stucco or brick around the openings
- Interior trim scope room by room
The window section of the inspection report plus one photo of each window, labeled by room, is enough for a first quote.
How long it takes
Lead time depends on the brand and is written on the quote, so book the measure early. Install in an empty house goes fastest; a typical house takes several working days.
How your project works
- 1
Send the inspection pages
Photos and the window notes from your inspection. We reply within one business day, or book a free in-home estimate.
- 2
Measure at keys
Every opening measured in person on or right after closing day, or before with the seller's OK. Rot the inspector flagged is checked.
- 3
Order against your move-in
One order for the house. The lead time is written on the quote so you can see whether the install lands before or after the truck.
- 4
Install empty or room by room
Empty house: we move through fast. Moved in: one room at a time, each opening closed the same day.
Replace Windows After Buying a House — Before or Right After Move-In: questions, answered
Should I replace windows before moving in?
If the lead time allows, yes. Empty rooms mean no furniture to move, no window coverings to take down and no one living around the work. If the windows will not arrive before the moving truck, they can go in room by room after you move in.
Can the windows be measured before closing?
Only with the seller's permission and access, since it is still their house. Many buyers book the measure for closing day or the day after. Nothing is ordered until every opening is measured in person.
The inspection said the windows are failing. What do I send you?
Send the window pages of the inspection report and a photo of each window from inside, labeled by room. We reply within one business day. The report helps us check the flagged openings first at the measure.
Can I replace the worst windows first after buying?
Yes. The quote lists every window by room, so you can do the failing ones now and the rest later. The brand, series and color are written down so later windows match.
Do new owners need a permit to replace windows?
Many same-size window replacements do not need one, but some cities require it and enlarging an opening usually does. JMB pulls permits when they are needed. Check with your city if you are unsure.
Is replacing windows a good first project after closing?
It is a common one, because windows affect heat, drafts and condensation from the first winter on, and the work is easiest in an empty house. Whether it comes first depends on what else the inspection found. Roof leaks and water problems usually come before windows.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and the builders we work with. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
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Read morePage reviewed October 9, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All whole-house projects pages
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