Selling house in 9 months: Recommended course of action???

Hi,
We live in Ohio, and have decided to sell our home next Spring/Summer. Existing single pane windows are S H O T. Just to be presentable, the mullions (?) would need to be spackled (??), and repainted inside and out. Got estimates of $80 per window for this, so for 16 windows, we're looking at $1,280.

First vinyl replacement quote from a National installer was three times what we had budgeted...$12,000+, though this was revised to just over $9,000 by taking some bells and whistles out. Still too much, though, considering our situation.

Spoke with a local, family-owned firm last week who quoted us 16 Simonton Prism windows (mostly Bronze level, with some Platinum features on the particular line they get from Simonton). These include:

15 Double Hung, standard size (less than 110), standard glass
2 of which are cottage style
2 of which are obscured
Grids on all sashes
1 large window, 76"x65", double strength glass
Low E and Argon in all
New capping included

After researching some things on this forum, I asked if they would use low expansion foam or foam backer during install, but apparently they only use fiberglass and silicone caulk.

There are three installers with this firm total, and the newest one has been with them for 8 years. They have an A+ rating with the BBB, and appear to be a class act.

Out the door, I am at appx $5,000.

I have a good friend who is a carpenter, who has installed hundreds of windows, and who knows what he is doing, so this could be an option...but do i really want to give up an entire weekend on this, and have the little finishing touches hanging over my head for 2 months???

If you were in my situation, and not a professional window installer, what would you do?

Thank you very much for any input, i sincerely appreciate it,
John

If I were in your position and was not a professional window installer, I'd hire someone who was. If you sell the house and the windows start leaking, they may sue you.

That is a great price. Actually on the questionably low side. If you are comfortable with the contractor go with them. By the time you buy the windows and pay your friend you won't be that far off between the two.

Great points, thank you both.

That is the understatement of the century! Something does not jive here at all. If you figure $2000 installed for the bay (which btw is very low), that leaves $3k left for 15 dh's, capped, with grids, and a few cottage and obscure??? That comes out to like $200 a piece! That just cannot work. The window cost alone with grids has to be around that price (give or take like $25), then add installation, other materials like caulk and coil(aluminum trim), overhead, and profit. It just doesn't work. I would be highly skeptical of that deal, unless I am misunderstanding something. People regularly post quotes here that scare me a bit, but this one is downright impossible--even if inferior installation are used... Even companies like the "$189 guys" have a bunch of extra fees that bump the actual cost of their poor quality windows into the $3-400 ea range.

I hope i was originally using the correct term with Bay window...it is a large window, 76"x65", that is flanked on either side by two double hungs (which are 2 of the 15 listed originally). The National Installer quoted us $1,400 on this large window the first go around. We asked the second contractor specifically how much the big one would cost, and he indicated a $378 window-cost ......I will amend my original post in case i misspoke.

That is still an extremely low number.

Fiberglass and sealing the outside is acceptable as long as they seal the connection to the home prior to capping.

in a solid mid/upper grade unit with good capping you should be between 8000-10000.