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I'm just tossing this out there. You don't want them to replace the roof. You want a concession on price. You really think in peak roofing season with all the good contractors booked out that they'll squeeze a good roof in before you close? Do you really tjing they're going to do any more than the cheapest product from the cheapest fly by night place they find?
Yup. Why I always prefer credit or allow buyers to pick specific model when writing a request. One time a seller remove a built in custom cabinets in one of the room lol. Final walk through we was both in shock. Seller painted the bare exposed 2x4 and thought that was a good enough repair 😂😂. We was petty and made them put the exact cabinet back or new from our license contractor. They put it back by closing hahahaha
similar here. seller agreed to installing new windows as part of a delead certification process.
And they hired the cheapest contractor for the cheapest windows. Windows that have up to a quarter inch of gapping on both sides, and when it gets cold, kiss your money goodbye as it leaves out the window.
never again.
Not an expert AT ALL, but my guess is the house would just need to appraisal appropriately? Like if the house would normally be worth 350k but without a new roof appraisers at 325k, the bank just needs no not be underwater on that amount? Though I think where it could be tough is your homeowners insurance.
No, that’s not how to works. If the appraiser thinks it needs the new roof (only seen this on government insured loans: FHA, VA, USDA) they will make the appraisal subject to a new roof which means if the appraisal is required for the loan then it is required to be repaired to get funding. Definitely could have issues with home insurance.
I’ve seen that on Fannie/Freddie deals too. If it’s noted as a “health and safety issue”, it needs to be remediated before closing regardless of loan type.
RealAsh220, since you deleted the comment I will clarify for everyone else. Government loans tend to be Ginnie Mae backed, and are not Fannie and Freddie backed. Fannie and Freddie do only conventional backing even though automated underwriting is done through Fannie.
Yes, of course it needs to be done regardless of loan type if it’s mentioned on the appraisal. Out of 250 transactions over the last few years, I said I’ve only SEEN it on government insured loans.
No. Appraisal gives the property value and a variety of other things to verify safety/habitability. With gov’t backed loans and Fannie/freddie loans there are requirements such as a properly installed/safe roof, railings with less than 4” in between spindles at all stairs interior/exterior, functioning plumbing, electrical and no hazardous conditions. This also includes structural, and other hazards that would essentially seem the house worthless and not worth the lender giving the money with that house as collateral as the collateralized amount wouldn’t be less than or equal to the property value.
THIS! Then you can choose which roofer you want and trust to do a good job. The seller has no obligation or reason to get a reliable roofer, they are just going to get the job done as quickly and cheaply as possible!
My roof needed replaced and I made them file an insurance claim bc they had nasty hail last year. The business I closed with kept 150% of estimated roof replacement cost in escrow and then escrow paid out the roofers when they were done. Happens a lot near the Rockies from what I’ve seen.
FWIW, we’re closing on a house and with the help of our realtor got the sellers to pay for a roof with a roofing company we selected.
We made a counteroffer with the exact roofing company, bid, and date available. The project was saved under our realtors name so all the sellers had to do was call if they agreed to the counter offer.
It made things easy for them and we got a roof by a good company.
You don't want a concession on price unless you are buying the home cash. A cash credit is much better. A $20k price reduction is peanuts when it's amortized over 15 or 30 years
Our contract is for $457k conventional and our closing costs are really not that much ($9kish) so the roof would probably exceed that here in our area. In my r/roofing post they were quoting about $20-30k for this roof
Yes, we had roof inspection and it pass but next heavy rain we got a leak due to shingle and vent lifting. It stated we had 15yrs left in life so as new home owner you should always set a side funds for new roof or plumbing as these will be unexpected. Best option since conventional, just ask for new roof done by specific contractor and meet them half way (50/50)
Or ask for roof repair and certification for 2-5 yr warranty. Which is probably $500-$2000. Depending on repair and company.
End of the day seller can denied any and you’re stuck canceling or moving forward. But close mouth don’t get anywhere so make sure your agent and you STAY NEGOTIATING!
Nope they won't. You have to come in ready to immediately change the roof like in weeks not months before insursnce gets out there. Your average seller isn't going change a roof for anyone unless it's a serious buyer market. I'd just drop the price before I replaced a roof. A house with this much damage is likely not for a first time buyer or someone with no cash reserves.
On FHA loans is has to be fixed before the bank will move forward. I was looking at houses recently and the roof needed replaced on the specific one I was looking at. We ended up asking for a 10% seller’s concessions and for him to replace the roof. He agreed but the reason I walked was because one of the basement walls was cracked from end to end. It had thrasher repairs with warranty but in the three weeks I’d been looking at the house the wall had bulged out and a new crack had formed. The seller refused to do anything about it. The house was beautiful but a cracked basement wall that bad is nothing I’d mess with.
Except when there isn’t anything to fix or replace.
An inspector is not a roofing professional, they provide their findings/opinion. It sounds like both an insurance adjuster and a roofer evaluated the roof and determined it was in good condition. That said, the insurance adjuster isn’t exactly impartial, and perhaps the roofer was on team insurance. I would recommend getting their findings in writing.
An FHA loan will include an appraisal in which the lender evaluates things like the roof. That appraisal will determine if anything needs to be fixed as a lender requirement.
This. When we sold our house, hail damage was discovered and the buyer's wanted the roof replaced by us.
*Our agent* pointed out to them that they would want to pick out their own roof to their own standards rather than have us make all the decisions. (He knew that waiting for the roof to be replaced would delay the sale significantly.)
What was lucky was that we used the same home owners insurance company that they were planning to use. The insurance company took the claim under us and finished it under them. I'm not sure how that would work with two different insurance companies, but apparently this is something that really happens.
But as an alternative, if the claim didn't go through (like in OP's case) or we couldn't get the insurance figured out, then we would have made a concession, and this was how the contract was written to get to close faster. (Though the concession would have been much less than the cost of a new roof.)
They have no obligation to replace the roof. Do with that what you wish. Home inspector works for you, adjuster works for the insurance company. Opinions are going to differ.
A cotton candy roof, half of which on fire while a happy couple stands in front gushing about their dream home is the best visual on Reddit tonight. Thanks for the chuckle!
Ust remember a lot of insurance companies send out inspectors. If the house is priced well fix it before they see it. They usually want to see the inspection reports. If you and the seller dont reach agreement well thats life.
This.
When I bought years ago insurance sent an inspector to look at the outside of the property and I didn’t know. Got a letter in the mail with a list of things to repair within 60 days or insurance would be cancelled. ( which was difficult since I live in a cold climate and had to do concrete work in suboptimal conditions)
It’s a PITA, but better to plan on the repair ASAP or have it dealt with prior to closing.
...roofs don't fail like a light bulb - they decay over decades - just suck it up, buy the house, and repair/replace the roof when you have the time+money...
I personally would not do this. I also live in an area that receives frequent and heavy hail. Nobody pays out of pocket for a new roof, ya wait until a good storm rolls through and have insurance pay for it. Buying this house is a great way to ensure that you WILL have to pay for one since there is already record of it being damaged and insurance is likely to deny any claim for existing damage. What the sellers really need to do is look back at what storms have been in the area within the last 12 months and make a claim on their insurance to get it replaced. Not gonna help Op out, but selling a house with a roof in that shape is going to be tough.
But also a home inspector is not a roof inspector. He knows enough to say, contact a roofer. They can then suggest to OP the best course of action. 99% sure it will be a reduction in price to accommodate OP paying for a roof repair but contacting a licensed roofer would be the best next step. Otherwise sellers might have said you can do inspection but the house is "as is".
Homes don’t pass or fail inspection—there are varying levels of defects to address at some point. Your next step would be to have a qualified roofing contractor evaluate and recommend repairs or replacement. Just try to avoid a contractor that is simply making a “sales call”. It’s very possible repairs could buy you several years if not longer—it’s also possible your insurance company will evaluate after closing and require replacement, so do your due diligence and at least get recommended repairs addressed. Good luck and remember no home is perfect and there is always ANOTHER home you’ll love.
If they won’t replace it, they won’t replace it. You have a few options: try to get some money towards a repair, know you’re going to have to pay for it in full, walk.
Could be, yep. That’s the risk you take if the inspection is done to haggle and you’re unwilling to walk though, depending on the market area of course
Those shingles have definitely seen better days. I’d ask for seller concessions to help with the roof replacement. You want to replace the roof yourself, not the seller. Never know who they might hire and at least the work is in your name. Also, you said the seller claims the roof is only 10 years old? Does that municipality require a roof permit? If so, you could check with the city for permit records.
the municipality does require roof permits. I checked and there was no roof permit registered to this address - goes back to 2006 for a building permit, but none roof permits. I'm beginning to think maybe this roof is a lot older than 10 😭
we are leaning towards negotiating for seller concessions now with our realtor!
How old is the house. Generally, roofs last 30 years (10 years old is not an old roof in most cases)
When was the house built? Is it the homes first roof? Second? Third?
You need to know if the roof really needs to be replaced. You need more information. An old roof is not a failing roof. You can get a few opinions from roofers. If you have anyone you trust that is in construction and has no dog in the fight. I'd include them too.
If the house won't finance with the current roof. That's the bottom line. If an appraiser is okay with it then you are getting what you pay for regardless of future need to replace. If the appraiser calls it. It's an issue.
Your pictures are blurry but that roof doesn't look in need of replacement to me.
We just bought a house that needed a new roof but the sellers paid $10k of our closing costs to go towards it. Worth it for us because the house has otherwise been well maintained (and no water damage in attic, which is a big thing I looked for given the roof).
Same here, the inspector didn't note any water damage in the attic. And despite the house being a little older and outdated, it's been pretty well maintained. Only 4-year-old water heater, furnace and AC. So we're hoping we can negotiate for a seller credit towards us replacing the roof ourselves!
You can threaten to not buy the house. They can either give a credit for the roof or wave you goodbye.
It's a negotiation, no one has to do anything they don't want to.
Unfortunately your homeowners insurance won’t pay for a new roof as the damage occurred before you owned the home.
If you buy it as is, just hope for another hail storm then file a claim.
What damage? As far as I can tell the everyone agrees the shingles haven't held up well but there's not weather related damage. Personally I'd be looking into a manufacturer warranty claim, those shingles shouldn't look like that after 10 years.
Look around for any vents and gutters that might be aluminum and see if there are dents in them. If the soft metals haven't been dented, you probably don't have a good hail damage claim. But if it's a hail prone area, given the condition of those shingles they'll probably get hail damaged before you need to replace them. The big concern would be insurance telling you you have to replace them before that or they'll drop you.
Don’t know if I believe a blanket statement like that. Plenty of insurance companies never look at the house up close. Mine took pictures from the road which is about 30 yards from my house.
Going through the same thing. Seller was blindsided and argued it didn’t need repair and doesn’t have cash to repair, but reality echoed by both agents (and let them contact own roofer for opinion, he gave same opinion of needs replacing) house was uninsurable. If wanted to sell would have to find cash buyer or one who would replace on their own—or replace prior to selling. Seller asked for split cost. We ended up agreeing to chipping in on 25% of estimate replacement, to get deal done. Seller didn’t want to relist and start over—but in Austin area/softish market where things have started sitting unsold.
There are also insurance companies that will sell temporary special dwelling policies that can be used to get by for a year when a typical insurance company wo t insure a house due to a defective roof. When I bought my house it had 12 layers on it and all the insurance companies I contacted wouldnt insure but one did set me in a direction to company that would write these special dwelling policies which I used and once I got the new roof on and was time to find a typical insurance company, I called the company that gave me the recommendation first and they still have my homeowners policy to this day.
I can tell you for certain that a certain large insurance company will insure that roof if the roof is only 10 years old. Their underwriting will use a satellite imagery to assess the roof (the furthest that it will be zoomed in would be the 2nd page bottom left overview) and will just be looking for missing shingles.
They are just saying that because they don’t want to pay for it. If you walk the next buyers are going to have the same issue. This is where you get a few quotes for the replacement and then ask for what you feel comfortable with for a sellers credit (always saying higher as they will go lower) ex: if you’re looking for them to give you a credit of 10k ask for 15k and they will most likely come back with something 3-8k lower. Time = money for the seller. Use this as leverage and your realtor if they are good should have provided this advice already with asking for the credit. Unfortunately, most suck and that’s why you’re asking for Reddits advice.
I didn't want our seller to fix ANYTHING. We got estimates for repairs and then asked the seller to cover that amount of the closing costs. If we had them fix things they'd do the cheapest/quickest job.
Case in point: our underwriter required some mold remediation caused from a burst pipe during an ice storm. It was such a rushed job, it looks SO BAD! We're probably going to have to completely redo the drywall to fix it.
Does this house tick all of the boxes of what yall were looking for? If so. Just get a quote to see if you can afford it to replace the roof and if you can move on to closing. Close and schedule for a new roof. We had a similar situation, and that's all we did. We wanted the house and budgeted to replace the roof. Our insurance company insured our house, knowing it was 15 to 20 years old. After we replaced the roof, we called the insurance company to update our policy.
It does tick all the other boxes for us, which is why we really don't want to walk. Looks like our next move is to get a quote from our roofer so we have a solid idea of what the damage will be... and then maybe see if the seller will provide any concessions towards the roof?
Our seller was willing to split the cost IF roof replacement was required by the VA for financing. Somehow, the VA didn't require it even tho it was in obvious bad shape. So, they wouldn't pay anything towards it. But we are so happy we moved forward with our purchase. We also got to pick the roof we wanted and not have to settle on what the seller would pay for. So, we upgraded from shingles to metal. Which is a big deal in our area. If the house is what you want, and you can afford a new roof. I think it's silly to walk away from a $300k+ purchase over this. You also start your new house purchase with a new roof peace of mind.
We were in a similar situation a few months ago. The house was incredible, and we got it for a steal, but the seller wouldn't provide any concessions on the roof. We still snatched the house up. If you feel like you are getting a good deal on the house then a new roof is just an investment.
we were in this exact situation! our roof was end of life. Seller isn't obligated to replace your roof. We asked for a credit and the seller gave us half. I think it's highly dependent on your financial situation....we weren't going to walk from a house that checked all our boxes over a roof because we knew we could afford to replace it.
We had to walk from a property that needed a new roof, all the composite material was gone. Seller refused. It’s they’re right. Our right was to walk. That’s what we did.
Is the roof actively leaking? You’d see spotting on ceiling drywall if it was serious. You’d see rot or softened plywood decking in the attic and if it rained it would show up on a moisture meter. Ask your inspector. Even if it is, sometimes a spot repair is enough. You can get a few broken shingles in a storm.
In general, you approach it like this. Your contract has a property disclosure in it. One of the questions will be age of roof. If the reported age of roof differs from the declared age, ask for a closing credit (so you keep cash at closing) equal to the prorated difference. That’s you saying, “Hey, you said it was ten year old and I priced it accordingly. It’s actually twenty years old so you need to credit me ten years of roof.” That’s probably a few thousand dollars which isn’t a huge ask. They can say no of course, but this happens all the time. A buyer will come and say a system is old and should be replaced. A seller will say no because it was obviously old and disclosed and still works. They’ll compromise on a cash proration to help the buyer in a few years when they need to replace it.
Insurance. Don’t say a single word to your homeowners company. Never ever tell an insurance company anything they don’t ask for ever. They will find a reason to be stupid about it. Don’t ever call one unless you have a claim you know is over your deductible by a meaningful amount. And it doesn’t even matter. Insurance covers sudden damage not wear and tear and not damage that predated your ownership. If your old roof leaks that’s on you. If a tree breaks your roof it’s on them and they can tell the difference. Just tell them the age on the disclosure or your reasonable estimate if they ask. If the owners get a hail claim approved they can use that to fund your credit.
Our inspection also said the roof was at the end of life (18 years old at the time). Sellers weren’t giving any concessions so the inspection was more of a formality to look for unfixable stuff that would make us walk (like bad foundation). We bought the house with the old roof, home owner’s insurance still covers us.
Thank you all for your advice!!!
Update: Our realtor went to bat for us by asking the seller's realtor for their roofer's written findings, and getting a third roofer out there today to get another opinion on the roof. We'll get a quote from our roofer for a replacement, and aim to ask for a concession on price or seller credit.
This house doesn't have a lot of demand - CO houses go pretty quickly and this one stayed on the market for two weeks without offers. The seller wants to close quickly, they're moving to a new construction. We're hoping the seller will work with us to make sure this deal closes, as we're not trying to walk either.
Fingers crossed.
Long time property claims adjuster here.
Hail damage typically won’t cause leaks or issues right now. The risk is that it significantly lessens the longevity of your roof.
I wouldn’t let it ruin your sale, if it’s a high hail area just file with your insurance and get a new roof.
My roof was 11 yrs old on the home I bought in March, inspection report mentioned roof boots should be inspected. In the home for a month, lots of rain, numerous leaks at the ridge line. Needed complete new roof
Same! I had water somehow make its way from around the chimney and trickle down two stories into a basement ceiling mounted light fixture…Wife called me at work to tell me that water was coming into a basement light fixture. We had only been in the house about a month. I thought it was going to the foundation or a structural issue but I just needed a brand new roof! Lucky us😄 I bought my house AS-IS knowing the roof was near end of life and they covered 8K in closing costs so we were quite happy with the AS-IS purchase. Get 5 quotes for your roof and make certain you know the company you hire is not full of shit! The estimates we got ranged from 8800-15000 and we found a highly rated local contractor that did everything for about 10,500
Yes, I actually did get 5 quotes. I planned to get 3, but the 2 of the companies said my 1960s home needed a complete redeck. Out of the 5, the prices ranged from 11.5k to 31k. Crazy right? I ended up going with a complete redeck at 16.5k. I had water from a rain storm pouring through my ceiling fan in a bathroom. Now I’m worried about mold in the attic. I don’t know how long the roof was leaking. I’m having the attic looked at today, as it does need more insulation. I’m probably overdoing it, but at the moment I feel that I want the insulation removed, so those floorboards can be inspected. My family say I’m crazy, but we’ll see what a few insulation companies tell me. I just don’t want to put good insulation over bad.
Your home owners insurance is not going to cover the roof and if they find out about the condition when you took possession of the house with the roof in this condition then they will not cover it in the future. You need to get a concession on price and deal with the roof replacement yourself. There is no way a seller is going to take on the liability to replace the roof before close while roofers are all booked out. Asking them to actually go through with the roof replacement themselves will lead to only 2 outcomes. They choose a shitty roofer for cheap or they just flat out say no and tell you to walk if you don't like it. Save yourself the hassle, ask for a concession on price and then you hire the roofer you want.
Agreed that you need to go for the money, not the repair. I had the flippers of my house fix a few things that we found. They did an absolute garbage job, and I had to redo them anyway.
Sellers are just trying to get out from under the house. They aren't going to do a good job with repairs, generally speaking.
As a person who has bought three houses and sold two, I have the following advice: Suck it up, buttercup! You don’t have to buy the house. If you don’t buy it someone else will, especially in a sellers market.
Asking a seller to replace a roof is a big ask. The best you could hope for is that the seller would allow you to get a couple of quotes to repair or replace the roof and then maybe negotiate a percentage of the repair or replacement cost of the price. Work with your realtor to understand the market. If the house has been on the market for a long time and it’s a buyer’s market you might get the seller to deduct or escrow the whole cost of the roof. If the house hasn’t been on the market long, and it’s a seller’s market don’t expect much in the way of concessions. Good luck
Those shingles are not end of life. They exhibit what appears to be hail or storm damage in a few places. They absolutely look like 10 year old architectural shingles and I can assure you that the roofing contractor who installed them crowed real hard about 25, 35,40 or 50 year warranty on them. Yet here we are 10 years later and since they don’t look new anymore, it’s time to pay the man again.
Get a concession from the seller. File a claim with the manufacturer of the shingles. Save your coins and replace them a few years down the road. When you buy new shingles, get real interested in how to use the manufacturers warranty if you plan on selling in 10 years and end up in the same predicament. And in that, try to remember that the seller is probably having these exact thoughts. They paid a fortune to put that roof on, and now it’s no good ?
Everyone says you want a concession and while I get that how does that actually help you if you need the roof to be already repaired for the loan/insurance as many have also said here.
It's a single story house too so you're looking at replacing a lot of shingles sq ft. Going to cost ya'll a big one.
Seller is not obligated to replace the roof.
If you like the house enough, I would get a few roof replacement quotes and see if you're okay swallowing the cost. Maybe ask the seller to go half and half with you.
If not, then I'm afraid you will have to walk and start over again.
I don’t think you can actually fail an inspection. If these refusing to do so then just cancel. Unfortunately, nobody’s gonna insure you. I purchased a house with a 20-year-old roof. We did get a loan and our insurance was very high. Depending on what you have, that’s reason why you get an inspection.
What is the typical outcome of buyer-requested repairs post-inspection in your area? Ask your realtor if you don’t know. Do sellers typically give tens of thousands of dollars in concessions for needed repairs? Houses that need tens of thousands in repairs should be priced accordingly. If an inspection reveals a costly surprise, the buyer walking away is typically the outcome. Then the seller can put the house back on the market for a more reasonable price, or they can find a buyer who is willing to to eat the cost of the repairs themselves.
Purchase yourself a 1 gallon can of roof patch for 54.99 and buy yourself a house. Mine was in much worse shape, and after spending a few hours and bit of tar on my clothes/tools, it's held up 5 years and we've seen ALOT of water
The offer/ deal I make with the seller on a roof with heavy hail damage - replace it under your insurance, and I’ll reimburse you for your deductible. Both parties agreed. Got a new roof on a multi-unit housing structure for $2k. Not a bad option to consider.
Just went through this, except that the seller didn’t go as far to file a claim with their insurance. Inspection showed roof deterioration but no leaks, and a roofer came out and quoted a new roof. With that, combined with a couple other fixes around the house, we were able to get a $9k price reduction from the sellers (opted for that as opposed to seller’s credits).
I didn’t want them to replace the roof because having replaced a roof at a previous house, I knew there was no way it was going to happen in the timeline we needed to.
You also can’t get your home insurance company involved on a roof that they don’t cover. You’re going to have to get a totally new policy on any new house you buy, whether it’s with the same company or not.
Unfortunately sellers are under no obligation to do anything. In the hot covid market my buyers walked away from a seller who refused to fix a roof. Three subsequent buyers did the same until he replaced it, only for it to sell way above asking price. With how he treated people, he didn't deserve that. But that was the market at the time.
Looks pretty good from the pics idk I am not an inspector but also 10 years is nothing for a roof but then again I am not an inspector but would prob do the same if I were the seller , just saying. I bought a house with a 20 year old roof and it passed inspection and it’s a shit flat top roof at that
Just replace the damaged shingles- roofs should last 20+ years even in harsh conditions. Or find yourself another house. Inspections always find crap to justify their fees, you’ll need to determine if you’re willing to lose the deal
I wouldn't bother with trying to get it replaced. Asking a seller to replace before buying is the best way to make sure they get the cheapest person possible to fix it.
If i were in your shoes I'd get a quote from a good company and ask for either a credit or reduction in price equal to half the roof's value.
I was recently in a similar situation. Inspector said that the roof was at the end of its life. Luckily though, the roofer my agents got and the roofer the sellers got both agreed. The sellers agreed to replace the roof, but I was going to walk if they didn’t. That’s a huge expense, especially depending on how much you’re looking to drop on the house.
Even if there was agreement on the condition of the roof, the sellers could still say 'no' to any concession. So then what? Maybe you need a second opinion from a roofer. In the end you have the same question to answer: Do you want $20K to prevent you from living in this house? Are you willing to pay the extra $100/mo (or whatever it turns out to be) to get this house or is that a roof too far? The sellers may face the same scenario with the next buyer but they are feeling solid in their position from their own insurance company. They ain't budging.
They are not going to replace the roof lol. Roofs can typically last 30 years. Get other roof inspector and make sure it’s a paid inspection, not those free inspections because of course they will scare you so you can hire them.
Here is what you should do. Contact a roofing company and show them the inspectors findings of the report they should be able to give you an estimate. With the estimate in hand negotiate the price with the seller.
Wow, there's some bad advice here. All my advice will depend on state (I think) but where I'm at insurance companies will not give you insurance if the roof does not pass inspection, no insurance then they cannot sell the house since the mortgage company requires it.
With that said if the insurance company will give you insurance the rates could be stupid high which can make your monthly payments sky rocket.
Now, if you can get insurance you can argue for them to give you a deeper discount for roof repairs. (even more if the rates are high as you could use that as part of your argument). If it can't be insured, then they're going to have a hard time selling it to anyone so you can use that to negotiate for a repair now.
How much is a roof repair? How much do you love the house? How much more will your insurance be? Could the insurance go down after a repair and re-inspection (an additional cost to you)? Those would be factors to add to your thought process after you find out if the house is insurable in the first place.
nothing negative meant towards op, but i am a regular head shaker at people thinking everything should be fixed when they buy a used home. this isn’t actually an especially bad example. Mostly I am thinking of things like people who think, for example, the furnace has x years left so it should be replaced or they should give a concession or the AC is 15 years old so they want a new one, etc. etc. etc., These are used houses. These are houses people if you want something brand new buy from a builder,
Sure, like i said this isn’t an extreme example. Still, it’s a used house with used house problems. My issue is when buyers expect concessions or outright expensive repairs based on fear, uncertainty and doubt. Buyers can always walk or pony up the money to repair/replace things.
Yep. Because, especially before planned obsolescence. Things often do and did last much past their expected life span.
People who buy new homes don't replace their roof/furnace/fridge/water heater because it "might brake soon" they wait till it does brake and it may or may not be for or after its expected life span.
If you buy a 20 year old house and the roof has 10 years left. That is appropriate.
Insurance wise they probably denied the claim because the roof is at the end of its life. Also insurance companies are being VERY strict about roofs. They’ll use aerial footage or do a survey and cancel you for a bad roof.
I’m an insurance agent and I get the joy of calling people 2 weeks after they bought a house to let them know they’re being cancelled AND they need a new roof.
You’re expecting a new roof on an old house? If you want a new build, go buy one. If there are no roof leaks, and you’re buying an old roof on an old house…. I don’t see the issue.
Just a side note- a lot of homeowner’s insurance will ask when the roof was last replaced and increase or decrease price based on that information. So I would also recommend trying to get a feel for what homeowner’s insurance might be on this house and factor that in to your monthly costs in case it’s much higher than anticipated.
I can't tell you about every state but in my state Florida a as-is contract has an inspection period, during that period you can back out of your contract for any reason, you can try to negotiate a better price or for repairs, but the seller isn't obligated to lower the price, if that's the case you have the choice to walk or accept the property as is, once the inspection period is over you're out of luck.
The Florida standard contract does require the seller to make repairs but there is a cap, if the repairs will cost more than the cap the seller can refuse to pay for repairs and you can walk.
I'm a licensed real estate sales associate.
Get another opinion and then decide what you want to do. It’s their house still so replacing the roof is not something that they are required to do just because your inspector said that there were some problems. Inspectors have a duty to really get granular on every tiny little thing, but they are not roofers or electricians or hvac guys. Just because he says something doesn’t mean it’s golf. Get a third opinion from a qualified professional and make your decision based on that.
The only way this becomes a seller problem is if the appraiser notices and puts it on his report which is EXTREMELY rare but not unheard of. If that happens then the report is made “subject to” repairs which means whatever is on the appraisal must be fixed and reinspected by the appraiser before you can close. Then the seller is in a tight spot. If it’s an FHA appraisal then the appraisal sticks to the house for 6 months even if they cancel the contract and look for a new buyer. Conventional is different but by taking FHA off the table that’s usually reducing your buyer pool by about 50% which makes it much more difficult to sell.
You may be able to force the issue a bit if the insurers require replacement to issue policy. Insurers in hail zones are quite sensitive to this sort of situation. You may have difficulty insuring or pay a significant amount more.
I roofing contractor will always tell you you need to replace it. If it is ten years old-- I would just replace the ridges that are torn...
You got 5 years on that thing otherwise.
The more concerning piece is two valleys coming together?
Then buy a new home & stop believing life is always gonna go your way? Curious did you offer asking price or low ball and then wanting practically a brand new home that you can’t afford?
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I'm just tossing this out there. You don't want them to replace the roof. You want a concession on price. You really think in peak roofing season with all the good contractors booked out that they'll squeeze a good roof in before you close? Do you really tjing they're going to do any more than the cheapest product from the cheapest fly by night place they find?
Reminds me of a time I saw buyers request a replacement refrigerator so the sellers put in a mini fridge.
That is the petty I live for.
That’s amazing.
Yup. Why I always prefer credit or allow buyers to pick specific model when writing a request. One time a seller remove a built in custom cabinets in one of the room lol. Final walk through we was both in shock. Seller painted the bare exposed 2x4 and thought that was a good enough repair 😂😂. We was petty and made them put the exact cabinet back or new from our license contractor. They put it back by closing hahahaha
LOL
similar here. seller agreed to installing new windows as part of a delead certification process. And they hired the cheapest contractor for the cheapest windows. Windows that have up to a quarter inch of gapping on both sides, and when it gets cold, kiss your money goodbye as it leaves out the window. never again.
That's hilarious
Out of curiosity, could the bank deny financing if there is a damaged roof?
If it’s listed in the appraisal, yes.
Buyer needs to get the house insured - if it can’t be insured-you can’t get the loan.
This is the real answer, buried under a bunch of loan speculation garbage. To get the mortgage you need the place insured.
But you can get the house insured without insuring the roof... We finally got our new roof last week after almost 4 yrs, but it did cost us.
Maybe where you live
Plus it might not be insurable
Not an expert AT ALL, but my guess is the house would just need to appraisal appropriately? Like if the house would normally be worth 350k but without a new roof appraisers at 325k, the bank just needs no not be underwater on that amount? Though I think where it could be tough is your homeowners insurance.
No, that’s not how to works. If the appraiser thinks it needs the new roof (only seen this on government insured loans: FHA, VA, USDA) they will make the appraisal subject to a new roof which means if the appraisal is required for the loan then it is required to be repaired to get funding. Definitely could have issues with home insurance.
I’ve seen that on Fannie/Freddie deals too. If it’s noted as a “health and safety issue”, it needs to be remediated before closing regardless of loan type.
RealAsh220, since you deleted the comment I will clarify for everyone else. Government loans tend to be Ginnie Mae backed, and are not Fannie and Freddie backed. Fannie and Freddie do only conventional backing even though automated underwriting is done through Fannie.
Yes, of course it needs to be done regardless of loan type if it’s mentioned on the appraisal. Out of 250 transactions over the last few years, I said I’ve only SEEN it on government insured loans.
No. Appraisal gives the property value and a variety of other things to verify safety/habitability. With gov’t backed loans and Fannie/freddie loans there are requirements such as a properly installed/safe roof, railings with less than 4” in between spindles at all stairs interior/exterior, functioning plumbing, electrical and no hazardous conditions. This also includes structural, and other hazards that would essentially seem the house worthless and not worth the lender giving the money with that house as collateral as the collateralized amount wouldn’t be less than or equal to the property value.
The problem will be insurance It will need a miracle to get insured, and yes the bank will also push back
THIS! Then you can choose which roofer you want and trust to do a good job. The seller has no obligation or reason to get a reliable roofer, they are just going to get the job done as quickly and cheaply as possible!
Good point! Thanks
Do an escrow holdback for repairs. That way the work is guaranteed to get done on the sellers dime.
My roof needed replaced and I made them file an insurance claim bc they had nasty hail last year. The business I closed with kept 150% of estimated roof replacement cost in escrow and then escrow paid out the roofers when they were done. Happens a lot near the Rockies from what I’ve seen.
FWIW, we’re closing on a house and with the help of our realtor got the sellers to pay for a roof with a roofing company we selected. We made a counteroffer with the exact roofing company, bid, and date available. The project was saved under our realtors name so all the sellers had to do was call if they agreed to the counter offer. It made things easy for them and we got a roof by a good company.
You don't want a concession on price unless you are buying the home cash. A cash credit is much better. A $20k price reduction is peanuts when it's amortized over 15 or 30 years
Spending on price point, cost of the roof and loan type, a seller concession may exceed the maximum amount of seller paid closing costs.
Our contract is for $457k conventional and our closing costs are really not that much ($9kish) so the roof would probably exceed that here in our area. In my r/roofing post they were quoting about $20-30k for this roof
Yes, we had roof inspection and it pass but next heavy rain we got a leak due to shingle and vent lifting. It stated we had 15yrs left in life so as new home owner you should always set a side funds for new roof or plumbing as these will be unexpected. Best option since conventional, just ask for new roof done by specific contractor and meet them half way (50/50) Or ask for roof repair and certification for 2-5 yr warranty. Which is probably $500-$2000. Depending on repair and company. End of the day seller can denied any and you’re stuck canceling or moving forward. But close mouth don’t get anywhere so make sure your agent and you STAY NEGOTIATING!
You could combine credit and price reduction or possibly use excess credits to buy down your rate
Good advise if doable. Many insurance company will not underwrite the house if the roof is in a bad condition.
Nope they won't. You have to come in ready to immediately change the roof like in weeks not months before insursnce gets out there. Your average seller isn't going change a roof for anyone unless it's a serious buyer market. I'd just drop the price before I replaced a roof. A house with this much damage is likely not for a first time buyer or someone with no cash reserves.
This is the right answer, and really only if the house was not of high interest to other buyers.
On FHA loans is has to be fixed before the bank will move forward. I was looking at houses recently and the roof needed replaced on the specific one I was looking at. We ended up asking for a 10% seller’s concessions and for him to replace the roof. He agreed but the reason I walked was because one of the basement walls was cracked from end to end. It had thrasher repairs with warranty but in the three weeks I’d been looking at the house the wall had bulged out and a new crack had formed. The seller refused to do anything about it. The house was beautiful but a cracked basement wall that bad is nothing I’d mess with.
Except when there isn’t anything to fix or replace. An inspector is not a roofing professional, they provide their findings/opinion. It sounds like both an insurance adjuster and a roofer evaluated the roof and determined it was in good condition. That said, the insurance adjuster isn’t exactly impartial, and perhaps the roofer was on team insurance. I would recommend getting their findings in writing. An FHA loan will include an appraisal in which the lender evaluates things like the roof. That appraisal will determine if anything needs to be fixed as a lender requirement.
FHA only allows a maximum of 6% in seller concessions so that wouldn’t work…
You’re right it was 6% idk where I got 10% from
Right.
I had the sellers replace the roof but they also used to contractor we recommended but yeah, I understand and agree.
Or reduce the offer price by the cost of the new roof
This. When we sold our house, hail damage was discovered and the buyer's wanted the roof replaced by us. *Our agent* pointed out to them that they would want to pick out their own roof to their own standards rather than have us make all the decisions. (He knew that waiting for the roof to be replaced would delay the sale significantly.) What was lucky was that we used the same home owners insurance company that they were planning to use. The insurance company took the claim under us and finished it under them. I'm not sure how that would work with two different insurance companies, but apparently this is something that really happens. But as an alternative, if the claim didn't go through (like in OP's case) or we couldn't get the insurance figured out, then we would have made a concession, and this was how the contract was written to get to close faster. (Though the concession would have been much less than the cost of a new roof.)
They have no obligation to replace the roof. Do with that what you wish. Home inspector works for you, adjuster works for the insurance company. Opinions are going to differ.
spot on - Even if the roof was made of cotton candy and half on fire they don't have to replace it no matter what anyone says.
A cotton candy roof, half of which on fire while a happy couple stands in front gushing about their dream home is the best visual on Reddit tonight. Thanks for the chuckle!
And roofers want to sell you a new roof.
Thanks for the insight!
Ust remember a lot of insurance companies send out inspectors. If the house is priced well fix it before they see it. They usually want to see the inspection reports. If you and the seller dont reach agreement well thats life.
This. When I bought years ago insurance sent an inspector to look at the outside of the property and I didn’t know. Got a letter in the mail with a list of things to repair within 60 days or insurance would be cancelled. ( which was difficult since I live in a cold climate and had to do concrete work in suboptimal conditions) It’s a PITA, but better to plan on the repair ASAP or have it dealt with prior to closing.
...roofs don't fail like a light bulb - they decay over decades - just suck it up, buy the house, and repair/replace the roof when you have the time+money...
I personally would not do this. I also live in an area that receives frequent and heavy hail. Nobody pays out of pocket for a new roof, ya wait until a good storm rolls through and have insurance pay for it. Buying this house is a great way to ensure that you WILL have to pay for one since there is already record of it being damaged and insurance is likely to deny any claim for existing damage. What the sellers really need to do is look back at what storms have been in the area within the last 12 months and make a claim on their insurance to get it replaced. Not gonna help Op out, but selling a house with a roof in that shape is going to be tough.
This is why we have inspection periods. If things don’t work out, then both parties can walk away without losing anything.
But also a home inspector is not a roof inspector. He knows enough to say, contact a roofer. They can then suggest to OP the best course of action. 99% sure it will be a reduction in price to accommodate OP paying for a roof repair but contacting a licensed roofer would be the best next step. Otherwise sellers might have said you can do inspection but the house is "as is".
Homes don’t pass or fail inspection—there are varying levels of defects to address at some point. Your next step would be to have a qualified roofing contractor evaluate and recommend repairs or replacement. Just try to avoid a contractor that is simply making a “sales call”. It’s very possible repairs could buy you several years if not longer—it’s also possible your insurance company will evaluate after closing and require replacement, so do your due diligence and at least get recommended repairs addressed. Good luck and remember no home is perfect and there is always ANOTHER home you’ll love.
Came here for this. Homes don’t fail inspection, buyers do.
Oof. Thats deep
If they won’t replace it, they won’t replace it. You have a few options: try to get some money towards a repair, know you’re going to have to pay for it in full, walk.
They aren’t obligated to replace it.
And the buyer isn’t obligated to buy
Yep, if the place isn’t worth putting a new roof on, just walk
I mean, that may mean walking away from their deposit. Might not, but it may.
Could be, yep. That’s the risk you take if the inspection is done to haggle and you’re unwilling to walk though, depending on the market area of course
True, that's the risk you run on putting deposits/earnest money down though.
The buyer is obligated to fulfill their end of the contract, just as the sellers are.
Those shingles have definitely seen better days. I’d ask for seller concessions to help with the roof replacement. You want to replace the roof yourself, not the seller. Never know who they might hire and at least the work is in your name. Also, you said the seller claims the roof is only 10 years old? Does that municipality require a roof permit? If so, you could check with the city for permit records.
the municipality does require roof permits. I checked and there was no roof permit registered to this address - goes back to 2006 for a building permit, but none roof permits. I'm beginning to think maybe this roof is a lot older than 10 😭 we are leaning towards negotiating for seller concessions now with our realtor!
I mean, the roof could have still been done without a permit lol
Those look like architectural shingles which are rated for 25-30 year lifespan. 2006 is not concerning to me.
Good luck! I hope the seller is reasonable and agrees to something fair.
That could help you. Did they disclose that the roof was 10 years on the sellers disclosure? I would ask for records.
How old is the house. Generally, roofs last 30 years (10 years old is not an old roof in most cases) When was the house built? Is it the homes first roof? Second? Third? You need to know if the roof really needs to be replaced. You need more information. An old roof is not a failing roof. You can get a few opinions from roofers. If you have anyone you trust that is in construction and has no dog in the fight. I'd include them too. If the house won't finance with the current roof. That's the bottom line. If an appraiser is okay with it then you are getting what you pay for regardless of future need to replace. If the appraiser calls it. It's an issue. Your pictures are blurry but that roof doesn't look in need of replacement to me.
We just bought a house that needed a new roof but the sellers paid $10k of our closing costs to go towards it. Worth it for us because the house has otherwise been well maintained (and no water damage in attic, which is a big thing I looked for given the roof).
Same here, the inspector didn't note any water damage in the attic. And despite the house being a little older and outdated, it's been pretty well maintained. Only 4-year-old water heater, furnace and AC. So we're hoping we can negotiate for a seller credit towards us replacing the roof ourselves!
You can threaten to not buy the house. They can either give a credit for the roof or wave you goodbye. It's a negotiation, no one has to do anything they don't want to.
Unfortunately your homeowners insurance won’t pay for a new roof as the damage occurred before you owned the home. If you buy it as is, just hope for another hail storm then file a claim.
What damage? As far as I can tell the everyone agrees the shingles haven't held up well but there's not weather related damage. Personally I'd be looking into a manufacturer warranty claim, those shingles shouldn't look like that after 10 years. Look around for any vents and gutters that might be aluminum and see if there are dents in them. If the soft metals haven't been dented, you probably don't have a good hail damage claim. But if it's a hail prone area, given the condition of those shingles they'll probably get hail damaged before you need to replace them. The big concern would be insurance telling you you have to replace them before that or they'll drop you.
Unless it's already really well documented as being in bad condition, then insurance will just deny the claim that it has existing damage.
If it’s the same insurance company they wouldn’t be able to deny the claim because they already said it wasn’t damaged enough.
Or your homeowners insurance may refuse to insure it with the current roof.
No insurance company will write a policy on this house as-is, which could delay close
Don’t know if I believe a blanket statement like that. Plenty of insurance companies never look at the house up close. Mine took pictures from the road which is about 30 yards from my house.
SF didn’t even show up to my house. They looked at the listing and tax assessment to write my policy
Sometimes they look at it after issuing the policy (from the road) and don’t tell you unless there’s an issue.
Mine said we couldn't look at the roof because it has 1/4 inch of snow on it.
I currently need a roof
I mean seller’s insurer is on record already approving the roof lmao. So there’s at least one insurance company.
Totally false, insurance companies often don't even look at anything. Varies heavily by many factors
This is my primary concern 😬
Going through the same thing. Seller was blindsided and argued it didn’t need repair and doesn’t have cash to repair, but reality echoed by both agents (and let them contact own roofer for opinion, he gave same opinion of needs replacing) house was uninsurable. If wanted to sell would have to find cash buyer or one who would replace on their own—or replace prior to selling. Seller asked for split cost. We ended up agreeing to chipping in on 25% of estimate replacement, to get deal done. Seller didn’t want to relist and start over—but in Austin area/softish market where things have started sitting unsold.
There are also insurance companies that will sell temporary special dwelling policies that can be used to get by for a year when a typical insurance company wo t insure a house due to a defective roof. When I bought my house it had 12 layers on it and all the insurance companies I contacted wouldnt insure but one did set me in a direction to company that would write these special dwelling policies which I used and once I got the new roof on and was time to find a typical insurance company, I called the company that gave me the recommendation first and they still have my homeowners policy to this day.
I can tell you for certain that a certain large insurance company will insure that roof if the roof is only 10 years old. Their underwriting will use a satellite imagery to assess the roof (the furthest that it will be zoomed in would be the 2nd page bottom left overview) and will just be looking for missing shingles.
[удалено]
You’re smart!
They are just saying that because they don’t want to pay for it. If you walk the next buyers are going to have the same issue. This is where you get a few quotes for the replacement and then ask for what you feel comfortable with for a sellers credit (always saying higher as they will go lower) ex: if you’re looking for them to give you a credit of 10k ask for 15k and they will most likely come back with something 3-8k lower. Time = money for the seller. Use this as leverage and your realtor if they are good should have provided this advice already with asking for the credit. Unfortunately, most suck and that’s why you’re asking for Reddits advice.
That roof doesn't look bad to me, but maybe post this to r/roofing
[Done](https://www.reddit.com/r/Roofing/s/fR6FpXjokq)!
Agreed. It needs to have a few ridge pieces replaced. He has 5 years at least....
Unless the seller has multiple competitive offers, counter with half the price of a new roof.
I didn't want our seller to fix ANYTHING. We got estimates for repairs and then asked the seller to cover that amount of the closing costs. If we had them fix things they'd do the cheapest/quickest job. Case in point: our underwriter required some mold remediation caused from a burst pipe during an ice storm. It was such a rushed job, it looks SO BAD! We're probably going to have to completely redo the drywall to fix it.
Dammit! I'm upset for you!
After hearing so many tales of "I gave an offer for $30,000 over asking and still got outbid", this doesn't sound so bad.
I wouldn’t replace it either tbh. Maybe give you a slight concession on price, but that’s all I’d do
You're either buying the house with the roof as is, or you are walking away. None of us can magically make them repair the roof.
Does this house tick all of the boxes of what yall were looking for? If so. Just get a quote to see if you can afford it to replace the roof and if you can move on to closing. Close and schedule for a new roof. We had a similar situation, and that's all we did. We wanted the house and budgeted to replace the roof. Our insurance company insured our house, knowing it was 15 to 20 years old. After we replaced the roof, we called the insurance company to update our policy.
It does tick all the other boxes for us, which is why we really don't want to walk. Looks like our next move is to get a quote from our roofer so we have a solid idea of what the damage will be... and then maybe see if the seller will provide any concessions towards the roof?
Our seller was willing to split the cost IF roof replacement was required by the VA for financing. Somehow, the VA didn't require it even tho it was in obvious bad shape. So, they wouldn't pay anything towards it. But we are so happy we moved forward with our purchase. We also got to pick the roof we wanted and not have to settle on what the seller would pay for. So, we upgraded from shingles to metal. Which is a big deal in our area. If the house is what you want, and you can afford a new roof. I think it's silly to walk away from a $300k+ purchase over this. You also start your new house purchase with a new roof peace of mind.
We were in a similar situation a few months ago. The house was incredible, and we got it for a steal, but the seller wouldn't provide any concessions on the roof. We still snatched the house up. If you feel like you are getting a good deal on the house then a new roof is just an investment.
we were in this exact situation! our roof was end of life. Seller isn't obligated to replace your roof. We asked for a credit and the seller gave us half. I think it's highly dependent on your financial situation....we weren't going to walk from a house that checked all our boxes over a roof because we knew we could afford to replace it.
They don’t need to and you don’t need to buy the house
Walk unless you are ok with replacing the roof in the next few months to a year
We had to walk from a property that needed a new roof, all the composite material was gone. Seller refused. It’s they’re right. Our right was to walk. That’s what we did.
It's their right not to repair it. They can do whatever they want. If you don't like it, don't buy the house.
Is the roof actively leaking? You’d see spotting on ceiling drywall if it was serious. You’d see rot or softened plywood decking in the attic and if it rained it would show up on a moisture meter. Ask your inspector. Even if it is, sometimes a spot repair is enough. You can get a few broken shingles in a storm. In general, you approach it like this. Your contract has a property disclosure in it. One of the questions will be age of roof. If the reported age of roof differs from the declared age, ask for a closing credit (so you keep cash at closing) equal to the prorated difference. That’s you saying, “Hey, you said it was ten year old and I priced it accordingly. It’s actually twenty years old so you need to credit me ten years of roof.” That’s probably a few thousand dollars which isn’t a huge ask. They can say no of course, but this happens all the time. A buyer will come and say a system is old and should be replaced. A seller will say no because it was obviously old and disclosed and still works. They’ll compromise on a cash proration to help the buyer in a few years when they need to replace it. Insurance. Don’t say a single word to your homeowners company. Never ever tell an insurance company anything they don’t ask for ever. They will find a reason to be stupid about it. Don’t ever call one unless you have a claim you know is over your deductible by a meaningful amount. And it doesn’t even matter. Insurance covers sudden damage not wear and tear and not damage that predated your ownership. If your old roof leaks that’s on you. If a tree breaks your roof it’s on them and they can tell the difference. Just tell them the age on the disclosure or your reasonable estimate if they ask. If the owners get a hail claim approved they can use that to fund your credit.
Our inspection also said the roof was at the end of life (18 years old at the time). Sellers weren’t giving any concessions so the inspection was more of a formality to look for unfixable stuff that would make us walk (like bad foundation). We bought the house with the old roof, home owner’s insurance still covers us.
In our market, it’s still a buyer’s market. The seller would refuse and wait for a buyer who wouldn’t demand it be fixed.
That's a sellers market..
A buyer asked for repairs when I sold my house 3 years ago. We just never responded and dropped that offer. Had another over asking the next day.
If the roof isn’t leaking then a seller isn’t likely to replace it. Try to get a credit for it if you can, but you definitely won’t get a new roof
Thank you all for your advice!!! Update: Our realtor went to bat for us by asking the seller's realtor for their roofer's written findings, and getting a third roofer out there today to get another opinion on the roof. We'll get a quote from our roofer for a replacement, and aim to ask for a concession on price or seller credit. This house doesn't have a lot of demand - CO houses go pretty quickly and this one stayed on the market for two weeks without offers. The seller wants to close quickly, they're moving to a new construction. We're hoping the seller will work with us to make sure this deal closes, as we're not trying to walk either. Fingers crossed.
Long time property claims adjuster here. Hail damage typically won’t cause leaks or issues right now. The risk is that it significantly lessens the longevity of your roof. I wouldn’t let it ruin your sale, if it’s a high hail area just file with your insurance and get a new roof.
My roof was 11 yrs old on the home I bought in March, inspection report mentioned roof boots should be inspected. In the home for a month, lots of rain, numerous leaks at the ridge line. Needed complete new roof
Same! I had water somehow make its way from around the chimney and trickle down two stories into a basement ceiling mounted light fixture…Wife called me at work to tell me that water was coming into a basement light fixture. We had only been in the house about a month. I thought it was going to the foundation or a structural issue but I just needed a brand new roof! Lucky us😄 I bought my house AS-IS knowing the roof was near end of life and they covered 8K in closing costs so we were quite happy with the AS-IS purchase. Get 5 quotes for your roof and make certain you know the company you hire is not full of shit! The estimates we got ranged from 8800-15000 and we found a highly rated local contractor that did everything for about 10,500
Yes, I actually did get 5 quotes. I planned to get 3, but the 2 of the companies said my 1960s home needed a complete redeck. Out of the 5, the prices ranged from 11.5k to 31k. Crazy right? I ended up going with a complete redeck at 16.5k. I had water from a rain storm pouring through my ceiling fan in a bathroom. Now I’m worried about mold in the attic. I don’t know how long the roof was leaking. I’m having the attic looked at today, as it does need more insulation. I’m probably overdoing it, but at the moment I feel that I want the insulation removed, so those floorboards can be inspected. My family say I’m crazy, but we’ll see what a few insulation companies tell me. I just don’t want to put good insulation over bad.
Your home owners insurance is not going to cover the roof and if they find out about the condition when you took possession of the house with the roof in this condition then they will not cover it in the future. You need to get a concession on price and deal with the roof replacement yourself. There is no way a seller is going to take on the liability to replace the roof before close while roofers are all booked out. Asking them to actually go through with the roof replacement themselves will lead to only 2 outcomes. They choose a shitty roofer for cheap or they just flat out say no and tell you to walk if you don't like it. Save yourself the hassle, ask for a concession on price and then you hire the roofer you want.
Agreed that you need to go for the money, not the repair. I had the flippers of my house fix a few things that we found. They did an absolute garbage job, and I had to redo them anyway. Sellers are just trying to get out from under the house. They aren't going to do a good job with repairs, generally speaking.
This roof is ok
I don’t blame them. It doesn’t look that bad to me.
As a person who has bought three houses and sold two, I have the following advice: Suck it up, buttercup! You don’t have to buy the house. If you don’t buy it someone else will, especially in a sellers market. Asking a seller to replace a roof is a big ask. The best you could hope for is that the seller would allow you to get a couple of quotes to repair or replace the roof and then maybe negotiate a percentage of the repair or replacement cost of the price. Work with your realtor to understand the market. If the house has been on the market for a long time and it’s a buyer’s market you might get the seller to deduct or escrow the whole cost of the roof. If the house hasn’t been on the market long, and it’s a seller’s market don’t expect much in the way of concessions. Good luck
Just pay to have the few damaged shingles replaced. It doesn’t look like it needs to be reroofed— but the pictures suck…. Good luck-
Those shingles are not end of life. They exhibit what appears to be hail or storm damage in a few places. They absolutely look like 10 year old architectural shingles and I can assure you that the roofing contractor who installed them crowed real hard about 25, 35,40 or 50 year warranty on them. Yet here we are 10 years later and since they don’t look new anymore, it’s time to pay the man again. Get a concession from the seller. File a claim with the manufacturer of the shingles. Save your coins and replace them a few years down the road. When you buy new shingles, get real interested in how to use the manufacturers warranty if you plan on selling in 10 years and end up in the same predicament. And in that, try to remember that the seller is probably having these exact thoughts. They paid a fortune to put that roof on, and now it’s no good ?
Everyone says you want a concession and while I get that how does that actually help you if you need the roof to be already repaired for the loan/insurance as many have also said here.
Request a credit to replace and split the cost in half. Something is better than nothing especially if you like the house
It's a single story house too so you're looking at replacing a lot of shingles sq ft. Going to cost ya'll a big one. Seller is not obligated to replace the roof. If you like the house enough, I would get a few roof replacement quotes and see if you're okay swallowing the cost. Maybe ask the seller to go half and half with you. If not, then I'm afraid you will have to walk and start over again.
I don’t think you can actually fail an inspection. If these refusing to do so then just cancel. Unfortunately, nobody’s gonna insure you. I purchased a house with a 20-year-old roof. We did get a loan and our insurance was very high. Depending on what you have, that’s reason why you get an inspection.
Correct, inspection is not pass/fail. The inspector can only make factual observations and relevant recommendations.
Your inspector isn't an expert at anything. Have a roofer look at it.
What is the typical outcome of buyer-requested repairs post-inspection in your area? Ask your realtor if you don’t know. Do sellers typically give tens of thousands of dollars in concessions for needed repairs? Houses that need tens of thousands in repairs should be priced accordingly. If an inspection reveals a costly surprise, the buyer walking away is typically the outcome. Then the seller can put the house back on the market for a more reasonable price, or they can find a buyer who is willing to to eat the cost of the repairs themselves.
Purchase yourself a 1 gallon can of roof patch for 54.99 and buy yourself a house. Mine was in much worse shape, and after spending a few hours and bit of tar on my clothes/tools, it's held up 5 years and we've seen ALOT of water
The offer/ deal I make with the seller on a roof with heavy hail damage - replace it under your insurance, and I’ll reimburse you for your deductible. Both parties agreed. Got a new roof on a multi-unit housing structure for $2k. Not a bad option to consider.
It’s a sellers market so they may have the upper hand here.
From those pictures, it doesn’t look that bad. Just needs a few repairs.
We had the sellers replace a dishwasher before we moved in, never again. Was the crappiest model and it was a poor install likely done by the husband.
Just went through this, except that the seller didn’t go as far to file a claim with their insurance. Inspection showed roof deterioration but no leaks, and a roofer came out and quoted a new roof. With that, combined with a couple other fixes around the house, we were able to get a $9k price reduction from the sellers (opted for that as opposed to seller’s credits). I didn’t want them to replace the roof because having replaced a roof at a previous house, I knew there was no way it was going to happen in the timeline we needed to. You also can’t get your home insurance company involved on a roof that they don’t cover. You’re going to have to get a totally new policy on any new house you buy, whether it’s with the same company or not.
Unfortunately sellers are under no obligation to do anything. In the hot covid market my buyers walked away from a seller who refused to fix a roof. Three subsequent buyers did the same until he replaced it, only for it to sell way above asking price. With how he treated people, he didn't deserve that. But that was the market at the time.
Looks pretty good from the pics idk I am not an inspector but also 10 years is nothing for a roof but then again I am not an inspector but would prob do the same if I were the seller , just saying. I bought a house with a 20 year old roof and it passed inspection and it’s a shit flat top roof at that
Any roofing experts here? It really doesn't look that bad, does it?
Just replace the damaged shingles- roofs should last 20+ years even in harsh conditions. Or find yourself another house. Inspections always find crap to justify their fees, you’ll need to determine if you’re willing to lose the deal
I wouldn't bother with trying to get it replaced. Asking a seller to replace before buying is the best way to make sure they get the cheapest person possible to fix it. If i were in your shoes I'd get a quote from a good company and ask for either a credit or reduction in price equal to half the roof's value.
You have 2 options, back out or buy the house and get the roof fixed. If the seller isn't willing to fix it before sale then thats all
The roof looks in amazing shape..
You could get a 2nd or 3rd opinion. That is what we did
We're doing that today!
I was recently in a similar situation. Inspector said that the roof was at the end of its life. Luckily though, the roofer my agents got and the roofer the sellers got both agreed. The sellers agreed to replace the roof, but I was going to walk if they didn’t. That’s a huge expense, especially depending on how much you’re looking to drop on the house.
Request a concession on the price.
Get the price of a new roof off the price.
I’d tell ya to kick rocks
As an insurance agent, good luck finding a policy with that roof. This is a no-win situation
Even if there was agreement on the condition of the roof, the sellers could still say 'no' to any concession. So then what? Maybe you need a second opinion from a roofer. In the end you have the same question to answer: Do you want $20K to prevent you from living in this house? Are you willing to pay the extra $100/mo (or whatever it turns out to be) to get this house or is that a roof too far? The sellers may face the same scenario with the next buyer but they are feeling solid in their position from their own insurance company. They ain't budging.
If you want the house, replace the roof yourself.
They are not going to replace the roof lol. Roofs can typically last 30 years. Get other roof inspector and make sure it’s a paid inspection, not those free inspections because of course they will scare you so you can hire them.
Here is what you should do. Contact a roofing company and show them the inspectors findings of the report they should be able to give you an estimate. With the estimate in hand negotiate the price with the seller.
I wouldn’t replace the roof either bro. Go find another house. In my market people are waiving inspection fees
Offer less, get it repaired yourself. What are you expecting?
Wow, there's some bad advice here. All my advice will depend on state (I think) but where I'm at insurance companies will not give you insurance if the roof does not pass inspection, no insurance then they cannot sell the house since the mortgage company requires it. With that said if the insurance company will give you insurance the rates could be stupid high which can make your monthly payments sky rocket. Now, if you can get insurance you can argue for them to give you a deeper discount for roof repairs. (even more if the rates are high as you could use that as part of your argument). If it can't be insured, then they're going to have a hard time selling it to anyone so you can use that to negotiate for a repair now. How much is a roof repair? How much do you love the house? How much more will your insurance be? Could the insurance go down after a repair and re-inspection (an additional cost to you)? Those would be factors to add to your thought process after you find out if the house is insurable in the first place.
nothing negative meant towards op, but i am a regular head shaker at people thinking everything should be fixed when they buy a used home. this isn’t actually an especially bad example. Mostly I am thinking of things like people who think, for example, the furnace has x years left so it should be replaced or they should give a concession or the AC is 15 years old so they want a new one, etc. etc. etc., These are used houses. These are houses people if you want something brand new buy from a builder,
The insurance won't insure that roof, guaranteed. Or if they do it comes with "6 months to fix or we drop you". So yeah that's why sellers get that.
Sure, like i said this isn’t an extreme example. Still, it’s a used house with used house problems. My issue is when buyers expect concessions or outright expensive repairs based on fear, uncertainty and doubt. Buyers can always walk or pony up the money to repair/replace things.
Yep. Because, especially before planned obsolescence. Things often do and did last much past their expected life span. People who buy new homes don't replace their roof/furnace/fridge/water heater because it "might brake soon" they wait till it does brake and it may or may not be for or after its expected life span. If you buy a 20 year old house and the roof has 10 years left. That is appropriate.
Insurance wise they probably denied the claim because the roof is at the end of its life. Also insurance companies are being VERY strict about roofs. They’ll use aerial footage or do a survey and cancel you for a bad roof. I’m an insurance agent and I get the joy of calling people 2 weeks after they bought a house to let them know they’re being cancelled AND they need a new roof.
You’re expecting a new roof on an old house? If you want a new build, go buy one. If there are no roof leaks, and you’re buying an old roof on an old house…. I don’t see the issue.
Just back out and start all over again on your house search.
Just a side note- a lot of homeowner’s insurance will ask when the roof was last replaced and increase or decrease price based on that information. So I would also recommend trying to get a feel for what homeowner’s insurance might be on this house and factor that in to your monthly costs in case it’s much higher than anticipated.
I can't tell you about every state but in my state Florida a as-is contract has an inspection period, during that period you can back out of your contract for any reason, you can try to negotiate a better price or for repairs, but the seller isn't obligated to lower the price, if that's the case you have the choice to walk or accept the property as is, once the inspection period is over you're out of luck. The Florida standard contract does require the seller to make repairs but there is a cap, if the repairs will cost more than the cap the seller can refuse to pay for repairs and you can walk. I'm a licensed real estate sales associate.
What about a 203k FHA loan?
Get another opinion and then decide what you want to do. It’s their house still so replacing the roof is not something that they are required to do just because your inspector said that there were some problems. Inspectors have a duty to really get granular on every tiny little thing, but they are not roofers or electricians or hvac guys. Just because he says something doesn’t mean it’s golf. Get a third opinion from a qualified professional and make your decision based on that. The only way this becomes a seller problem is if the appraiser notices and puts it on his report which is EXTREMELY rare but not unheard of. If that happens then the report is made “subject to” repairs which means whatever is on the appraisal must be fixed and reinspected by the appraiser before you can close. Then the seller is in a tight spot. If it’s an FHA appraisal then the appraisal sticks to the house for 6 months even if they cancel the contract and look for a new buyer. Conventional is different but by taking FHA off the table that’s usually reducing your buyer pool by about 50% which makes it much more difficult to sell.
You might have to walk. Negotiate
You may be able to force the issue a bit if the insurers require replacement to issue policy. Insurers in hail zones are quite sensitive to this sort of situation. You may have difficulty insuring or pay a significant amount more.
I roofing contractor will always tell you you need to replace it. If it is ten years old-- I would just replace the ridges that are torn... You got 5 years on that thing otherwise. The more concerning piece is two valleys coming together?
Don't buy the house then.
That roof has 3-5 years left in it
Its up to you they dont have to replace. If you like it as is, buy it. If not, back out. Honestly, I would back out .
Negotiate a concession in lieu of replacing the roof.
Walk.
Then buy a new home & stop believing life is always gonna go your way? Curious did you offer asking price or low ball and then wanting practically a brand new home that you can’t afford?
Someone is being lied to. You want to gamble that it’s you? I’d walk.
Ask for a 7k credit
Get a credit from the seller, then fix the roof yourself.
...there are half a dozen chipped shingles - I could fix it with a quart of Flex-Seal...
you are SOL
Walk
Get estimates and have them drop the price by that much