What to Look for in a Roof When Buying a Home

A roof can be a significant expense after buying a home. General home inspections vary in scope and access, so ask what was checked and whether a roofing specialist should take a closer look. Let us know your inspection deadline when you contact us.

Ask the seller for

• The install date, and the invoice if they have it. In our experience a shingle roof here lasts about 18 to 20 years, so the date tells you roughly where you are.
• The product and color, and any warranty paperwork. A transferable workmanship warranty (ours is ten years) is worth asking about specifically.
• Repair records, and any history of leaks, claims or storm damage.

No records isn’t a red flag. Plenty of good roofs have none. It just means the roof has to speak for itself.

At the showing

From the ground: an uneven or sagging roofline, missing or lifted shingles, patches that don’t match, moss on the north side, debris in the valleys, gutters pulling away, granules piled at the downspouts. Inside: ceiling stains, especially near exterior walls and around skylights and chimneys. In the attic, if you can get in: stains on the underside of the decking, damp or compressed insulation, daylight where there shouldn’t be any, and whether there’s any ventilation at all.

Don’t get on the roof. You don’t own it yet.

When to bring in a roofer

If the home inspection flags the roof, if the roof is older than about 15 years, or if the roof is a big part of why you’re nervous about the price. Realtors and home inspectors in Central Oregon send us these every week. Send us the inspection report, address and deadline. We’ll confirm availability for a free inspection and explain what we can provide within your timeframe.

What you get: what we found, relevant photos when helpful, a repair option if one exists, and a replacement proposal if that’s what it needs. That gives you and your agent something concrete to negotiate with, instead of a guess.

Questions to settle before closing

• Who pays for any repair the inspection turns up, and who picks the contractor?
• If the seller offers a credit instead, is it based on a real proposal?
• If a warranty transfers, what paperwork does the seller need to hand over? For ours: the original contract and paid-in-full invoice.
• If the roof is near the end, does the price reflect it?

A roof assessment doesn’t decide what a house is worth. It tells you what you’re buying, which is the point. Request a free roof inspection and tell us when your inspection period ends.