If you move into a brand-new house that builders just erected, it presumably has brand-new everything. You’ll have brand-new appliances. The house itself will also have only brand-new components.
You can include the house’s roof in that category. However, how many times do you get the chance to move into a brand-new house? Often, if you buy a home, you will move into a house that had previous owners.
The average roof lasts about 20-30 years. That means, if you’re moving into a house that builders erected within the past couple of decades, your roof should still have some life in it. If you move into a much older house, though, and it has a very old roof, you may need to think about repairs or replacement in the not-too-distant future.
How can you tell whether your roof needs repairs or a total tear-off and replacement? We’ll discuss that topic in detail now.
If Possible, Assess the Roof Before You Buy the Home
Your roof assessment should ideally happen before you buy a house. When your real estate agent takes you to look at a home, you should think about how your life might fit into it. You should try to imagine where your furniture can go. You should think about which family member will get each room.
You should also look at things like the foundation and the roof. You’ll want to notice any cracks in the home’s foundation that indicate it’s unstable. You can look at the roof to see whether there is anything wrong with it that catches your eye.
Before you put a bid in on the house, you will want to have a home inspector look at it. They will certainly want to take a closer look at the roof. They are experts in this area, so they should be able to give you a strong indication of whether you will need to repair the roof or replace it sometime shortly after buying the house.
Alternatively, you might request that the current owner fix or replace the roof if it looks like it needs it. If they refuse, you might still put in a bid on the house, but for significantly less money.
What About if You Can’t Have an Inspector Look at the House?
If you’re dealing with a seller’s market, then maybe you can’t get a home inspector to look at the house’s roof before you buy it. If some potential buyers willingly put in a bid without getting an inspection, then you may have no choice but to just buy the property as is if you feel strongly enough about it.
In that scenario, you’ll need to assess the roof’s condition after purchase. That’s not ideal, but in a seller’s market, it may happen without you having much say in the matter.
Have a Roofer Look at It
Let’s assume for a moment that you had a seller’s market, so you had to buy the house without a formal inspection. You look at the roof, though, and see some discoloured spots or spots where it’s visibly sagging.
If so, you should get a skilled professional roofer to look at the roof as soon as possible after you move in. If you see sagging, discoloration, or missing shingles, then you’re probably looking at some needed repairs, at a minimum.
Get an Expert’s Opinion
The roofer can look at what’s happening up there. They can go up on a ladder, look over the situation, and then come back down and discuss your options with you.
You can probably trust the roofer’s opinion. If they say you can pay for repairs, and that will fix the roof’s current issues, that will presumably cost less than a total tear-off and replacement. However, that might just postpone an inevitable total roof replacement if the roofer says that’s definitely in your future.
You can always get a second roofer’s opinion, and a third, if you like. No matter how many opinions you get, though, if the roofers that look at your home’s situation keep saying you need a total replacement, then you will probably have no choice but to do that eventually.
If you do not have enough ready cash, you can always look into getting a home improvement loan. It’s your prerogative when to fix a roof. If a total tear-off and replacement needs to happen, though, it’s probably best that you do it sooner rather than later.
