“Dear PoPville,
I’m interested in making an offer on a condo in DC that has bars on the windows. For several reasons, I don’t think they’re necessary and of course, I don’t like the way they look or how they’d prevent escape in the event of a fire. If I buy the condo, I’d want to remove the bars, but I can’t find anything online regarding the feasibility of doing so.
Unfortunately, my real estate agent hasn’t been much help in answering my questions. Would the condo board/management company prevent this? Would the building’s underlying insurance policy prohibit this? Would my best bet be to make an offer, and then once under contract have a real estate attorney look over all the pertinent documents and advise? Thanks so much!”