The roof is the shield that protects you and your family from anything happening outside. Without it, you would wake up every morning with sunburn, get soaked by the rain, and ruin your delicious cooking in your kitchen with bugs buzzing around. On top of that, the cost of replacing a roof can easily exceed $10,000, which is why many savvy home buyers look for homes with new roofs.
To prevent any of this from happening, here are a few tips.
When viewing homes, take a look yourself or ask about cracked or missing shingles. Shingles act as a guard and protect your home from the elements. If they’re damaged, they won’t be able to do their job properly. Shingles that are damaged or missing are a major sign that the roof is deteriorating. Ask the realtor or the homeowner what kind of shingles are on the house you’re looking at. Find out if they’re made of asphalt or another type of material. Asphalt shingles can last 20 to 50 years depending on the climate in which they’re installed, while metal shingles can last twice as long.
Since it might be pretty difficult to get up on the roof during your viewing to check the shingles, take a look at the gutters instead. When gutters aren’t cleaned, water can overflow and settle on the roof. If the water settles, the roof can spring a leak. Gutters can also clog when pieces from the shingles or roof detach and fall into the gutter. Keep an eye out for that as well.
You should also pay attention to the rooflines. If you’re unfamiliar with what rooflines are, Dylan Chalk House Talk says it’s a core house system that lasts the life of the house. They won’t need to be replaced unless you do some serious work on the home. Check to see if the roofline is a little wonky. For example, if the roof has random dips in it or looks a bit off, there’s a chance it was done as a DIY project by someone who didn’t understand how roofing works. It’s a sign that you’ll need to do some fixing in the future.
If it’s hard to visually get an idea of what is happening with the roof, and Mr. Roof says there are a few questions you should ask your realtor. These questions include “How old is the roof?”, “Who last replaced the roof?” and “When was the roof last replaced?”. The answers to these questions will give you an idea of what work needs to be done in the future and if it’s worth putting money down on the specific house. In fact, some home buyers will increase their offer if a home’s roof was recently replaced.
A roof does a lot for a home, so it’s important to make sure it’s in good condition. It’s especially important to make sure the roof is in good condition when looking for a new home. The National Association of Realtors says 34% of home buyers are first-time buyers, and many of them will skip this important part of due diligence before signing on the dotted line. If you’re among that 34%, then you may not have known to pay attention to the roof. But with the help of this article, you can now be a step ahead of all other first-time-buyers out there.