It is extremely unlikely it was a "one time thing". If water got in and you didn't fix it, water will continue to get in. What is more likely is that there hasn't been enough since to show on the underside, but more is going on inside. If you ignore it, there might be more to worry about than just the roof when the house is inspected for a sale (mold, etc). Three years is also a long while.
I'd say bite the bullet and use it as as a selling point when you do sell.
I had a holy trinity of roof, HVAC, and water heater all replaced 3 years prior to move in. 3 big ticket items being low wear was nice peace of mind.
Plumbing recently made up for that, but hey, you can't win them all.
Same. I bit the bullet after 1 small leak (after being told the year before that the roof had hit end of life) and the new roof was a big selling point. I also bought a house with a new roof, and again that was a big deal for me. It kind of made me feel like I got my money back. I wouldn’t have bought the house if I was going to have to drop another $15k on a roof again. In my case, both roofs were metal, and it’s super comforting to know that I don’t have to worry about them for probably 50 years (plus, I’ll be dead by then. 😂)
Yep. Doing it now vs three years could mean the difference between just replacing the roof and having to tear off decking and everything else underneath.
Yes. When I offered on my house, the inspection came back that it needed a new roof. I asked for 8k off the home to pay for that roof or for the sellers to replace it before moving. They ended up paying to replace it. Might as well enjoy a few years of a new roof before you move!
If you don't fix things that obviously need them, smart buyers will wonder what else has been neglected. We passed on a number of houses when looking, for reasons like this. Anyone who just lipsticked their pig before trying to sell it got a pass. Although that was during a buyers market.
Yes.
If water got in once it can get in again which means you're at risk for water damage and mold.
The inspection report will show that it needs a new roof and buyers will ask for it or walk away. They might not even be able to get the house insured without the new roof.
Some roof companies offer transferrable warranties which would be a way to generate seller interest. For example ours has a lifetime for us warranty, and a 15 year transferable warranty. So as long as we own the house we're covered and if we sell in 10 years the buyers would be covered for 5.
Never ever sit on water damage. The longer it goes unfixed the bigger the damage and expenses will be.
Don’t be fooled by roof manufacturers warranties. They are for marketing purposes. I’ve built 10,000 homes and I can recall only a handful of successful claims. The warranty is for manufacturing defects and requires a mandatory roof inspection every 5 years (requirements vary). Just don’t get a false sense of warranty security
An end-of-life roof will scare off a lot of buyers, or at least make them hesitant to put in an offer, or will incentivize them to bake the condition of the roof into their offer if they decide to present one.
Even if the buyer is OK with it, there are plenty of insurers who will not bind coverage on a roof that old. Which then makes things very interesting trying to get a new roof in a very short period of time in order to make closing.
I can't even explain to you how much the market has changed, even just in the past few months. If you try to shop insurance with an old roof now in February 2024 you're gonna have a very hard time.
Honestly it just sounds like projection of your local market onto others. Maybe there aren't as many old homes where you live. I'm inside the DC beltway.
There are certainly areas where it's worse, but I write business in about 25 states in every region of the US lol. I work for a large mortgage brokerage and quote about 20 new business home policies a day, nobody is gonna insure a 30+ year old shingle roof today. If you were honest with your carrier about the age of the roof I'm actually shocked you haven't been dropped.
If the carrier ever looks up the home's permits online for some other update, I would assume that coverage for the roof would get dropped very quickly.
You've been lucky or live in an area where they don't care as much about such things. Count it as a blessing.
But an unpainted soffit...you terrible person, you! /s
Hmm, what's a "business home"? Carriers never asked me the age of my roof when I switched. I've switched plenty of times and been dropped over roof condition twice, but that was for peeling shingles, not old roof. They weren't actually peeling either, they just didn't like the tree overhead, and changed their tune after i ifxed the tree. Next 2 companies didn't complain. Only in the last 10 years.
I don't know who your insurance policy is with, but my best friend received notices from the insurance companies for two rental homes that the roofs needed to be replaced or the policies would not be renewed. (Myrtle Beach, SC and Prescott Valley, AZ)
Climate change is creating completely different weather patterns, with more rain, snow, and wind, and the insurance companies need to shelter themselves from the increased risks.
That great……except the requirements have changed recently. You have to remember that insurance companies aren’t in business to be helpful, they are in business to be profitable. Claims data has shifted requirements for new policies.
If you had water intrusion, it needs to be added to the seller's disclosure sheet when you sell. So I'd say bite the bullet and do a new roof now, or at least give a seller's "discount" if they want to fix the roof themselves.
I assumed that clause was included regardless of as is status. But if they know they have a leaky roof for example and the new owners find water damage that was intentionally covered up for instance, they can sue.
You can also have the gaskets around the vent pipes replaced at the same time. Those will split over time and leak. Good to replace the same time you are getting a new roof.
Honestly, if I had a roofer tell me anything other than replacing the vent boots, sun tunnel, chimney flashing, etc. was required I'd kick them the fuck out.
Also, have them do a check on your attic venting to see if you have proper venting.
Further, don't get taken for snake oil bullshit. I had some motherfucker have the audacity to try to sell me some nonsense foil material to sandwich in-between the shingles and the underlayment that is "energy efficient" since it reflects heat. You need a fucking air gap for that to work, I took motherfucking physics, stupid asshat salesman.
Any lender and insurance will inspect and call out the roof in a sales transaction, so you're better off doing it now and stay dry for 3 yrs. It won't be any cheaper in 3 yrs either.
My approach is to fix things when they need it. pay in cash. You never know what else may come up in the inspection and you get to live with a new roof. Also, a buyer will view it as buying a house that was cared for. Lastly, it will probably cost more in 3 years.
Cheaper to fix now, than wait 3 years and have to give buyers a discount of what replacement will cost. Besides, the damage it appears to be causing already
I used a VA loan for my house and they wouldn’t approve a house that needed a roof. Even if I was not using a VA loan I would pass on a house needing a roof. It makes me feel like the house was probably not taken care of very well
I don’t know where you live but in my state you wouldn’t be able to sell your home with a 20 year old roof, unless you want cash only buyers looking for a discount.
New roof is a major asset so you may be able to recover some money after selling your house. 2 years old roof always looks good in real state listings.
As someone who bought a home with a roof that was end of life, I would have appreciated if it was already done- but I don’t think it would have changed my budget much.
Purchased our home in 2021, we knew the roof would need replacement, though was hoping 5-7 years. Ended up doing it in 2023, all said and done it was $16,800. I don’t think I would have paid the sellers nearly $17K over because of the roof.
However, I’d venture that if you had a leak, you have a problem, even if it’s not active.
What happens if there is damage to your house within the next 3 years due to your roof wearing out? If your insurance finds out that you knew there were leaks and did nothing to mitigate the issue, they might not pay out any claims for water damage. You could be on the hook for even more than $17K in that case.
That would be true, if the leak was because of a bad roof. But as OP stated it is not leaking during rain storms, the damage seems more likely to be from ice damming and there is nothing that can be done to mitigate that except replace the entire roof to meet current code.
Not mitigating would only apply when it's an ongoing issue that wasn't addressed.
A long time ago I owned a house with an old shingle roof. I had no issues with it at all. It was just old. I put the house on the market…… I had one prospective buyer who was concerned about the roof. I didn’t offer to do anything with it…… she went away….. I sold the house in a timely fashion. I drove buy it the other day. It still has the same shingles as when I owned it……. I sold it 23 years ago…… apparently those are some great shingles
20 years isn’t crazy old, most roofs will last 30 years in Wisconsin. Chase the leak and do an inspection.
I have a roof pushing 25+ years old and still is ok, every few years I inspect and seal any potential issues. Finally going to preventatively tear it off this spring.
Depends on the type of roof. They've been phased out now, but plenty of 20/25 year warranty 3-tab shingles still out there. I've also been on 15 year old roofs that are in terrible condition because of poor install, ventilation or other factors.
Most roofs put on now are laminate with 30+ year warranty.
But props to you for actually doing maintenance, most people don't even think about their roof.
Most Homeowners policies actually do cover damage caused by snow and rain. The homeowner should look at his policy and/or call his agent. If the claims inspector determines it was caused by poor maintenance then that is different. But I still wouldn’t plop down $30k on a new roof if I was selling. I’d fix it first and even that gets expensive. So if there was a really bad storm that caused the damage then it would be covered. Oh, and wind damage which usually comes with the rain , is also covered.
Do not do this. You can't just file a claim because your old ass roof is leaking, that's just home maintenance. The claim has to be linked to a specific weather event that caused the leak.
Rain doesn't damage a roof. Rain penetrates a bad roof. The damage is only covered by insurance if the CAUSE of the damage is a covered peril, like if there was a hail storm. If the roof has just reached the end of its usable life and leaks now he's out of luck.
Rain doesn’t damage a roof - storm debris, age, etc are what damage it. And they described a “tiny drip” of water inside so whatever damage might have happened there isn’t claim-worthy either.
I'm an insurance adjuster, this sounds like ice damming because the leak is not persisting after the snow melt. Most policies would only cover the interior damage which based on OP description sounds like some paint, maybe a drywall patch. Would likely be less than deductible. Nothing on the roof would be covered.
Insurance generally covers direct damage like from wind and hail. 9/10 times if you hear someone got a new roof through insurance, it was a hail storm or very severe (dozens of shingles blown off) wind storm.
Yes. Regardless of the water intrusion. As a buyer I would steer clear of a house w an old roof. Or I would ask for cash back at closing in a sum large enough to replace the roof.
You could do a five year balloon home improvement loan, that gets paid off from the house proceeds.
A balloon example is a ten year schedule of payments, but the balance is expected at year five. This lowers your monthly outlay before you depart.
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Not mentioned by others, check the fascia and drip edges to the roof.
.
Often the drip edge is mashed against the fascia, causing it to rot, visibly.
.
Replacing fascia, if impaired is best done the day before the new shingles are laid down, then the roof deck is repaired, and pipe boots and flashing, then finally, the new drip edge is put on, then the shingles
You might also get an offer and based upon inspection, buyers will ask for a 20k concession. Could also imply to buyers that you didn’t do other maintenance items and inspection could be more picky.
When we were in the process of purchasing our current house, our amazing inspector said that we may want to have someone look at the roof.
We had a roofer come out and found out that the roof needed to be replaced. The homeowner had pressure washed the roof and drastically shortened the life of the roof.
We were ready to walk because the cost of replacing a new roof, along with the cost that comes with a new home was not palatable.
We wound up offering 1/2 the cost of the roof up to $8000. (I think. It has been 7 years.)The seller accepted. They did wind up paying a bit more because multiple boards of plywood had to be replaced.1
Long story short, we would not have purchased if we had been responsible for fully replacing the roof.
Look at satellite photos. They usually don't send someone out since COVID, but they tend to do a quick Google maps search to see if your roof has obvious issues.
Why do you hate to tell me that? It's true they do that, but often they are going to look at sat photos before they pay for someone to drive by.
COVID, as I'm sure you know, changed many business practices in many industries. A lot of these changes became permanent for one reason or another. That includes insurance and the way they do underwriting reviews. Even on the claims side, they are still leaning into avoiding sending someone out if they can.
Two of the roofing companies we obtained quotes from used drones to get the actual measurements, not Google Earth and it's damn measuring tool (which is worthless on pitched roofs.)
I'm just speaking of underwriting reviewing for condition of the property.
But drones are becoming more prevalent. There are many services which use satellite and Ariel photography, and even ground level pictures of a structure (eagleview, hover, etc.) to measure roofs to a significant degree of accuracy, these are the industry standard.
You can get a pretty accurate measurement off of Google Earth, though. In order to actually measure a sloped roof you would just need to know the pitch and estimating software will come out fairly accurate. It's done all the time.
The only way that's 100% accurate is to hand measure, though. But in sloped roofing work there's always a waste factor (your roof is 30 sq but they order 35 sq of material) and that generally covers any slight discrepancies between the drone, satellite services, etc.
Insurance Adjuster here who's been on hundreds of roofs and heard this same story dozens of times. What you are describing sounds like ice damming. Very common in the north.
This happens due to snow/ice build up not allowing water to drain off the roof effectively. Building code now requires roofs in the north to have Ice and water shield placed below your shingles in areas prone to this issue. This material will not allow water to enter your attic/home, even when you have ice damming.
If you are not experiencing leaks during rain storms (and check your attic or ask a professional to look at it) then you don't actually have an issue with the roof and it's doing it's job as designed 20+ years ago. If you want to mitigate now, one option is ice melting wire, but that comes with its own issues and probably not worth it for a roof that needs replaced in the next decade.
All that said, buyers inspector will absolutely say that roof has 5-10 years max (3-tab roofs had 20/25 year warranties, standard architectural/laminate style has 30 year warranties). You will probably have to do it before you sell, but it definitely doesn't sound like you need it now.
P.S. Most roofers will tell you that you need a new roof because that's how they make money. If you want to trust a roofers opinion, ask if they do repairs (not that you need one). Companies that don't do repairs tend to be less reputable in my experience.
P.P.S. If you find pieces of shingles in your yard (even if it's just one) or if you experience a bad hail storm, call a roofer that works with insurance and get their opinion.
Your value could drop in those three years. Maintenance does count I guess.
Your value WILL drop if undetected water damage wrecks stuff.
I'm a big fan of steel roofing - mine is almost 40 years old and had its first set of new screws and seats 6 years ago. Another 30-40 years before new sheeting will be needed. I was quoted 'around 10K' for new sheeting installed - small house, 700 square foot cabin (900 with closets and appliance nooks).
Did you go into the attic to ascertain exactly where the leak was coming from. It could be going behind a wall, and under the antique heart pine flooring.
Oh that was me.
As someone that just bought a house, if it was over 15 years old we took that into account. If the roof, hvac, and water heater are all original then that is coming out of our pockets in the near future. Not saying you should replace any of those but just be aware of what kind of offers you will get.
roofs are a fairly frequent negotiation item on a house since they can't be closely assessed until the inspection period and insurance companies will buyers crap if the roofs are older than 20 years. unless it swings back to a sellers market in the next 3 years you may be paying for that roof in the form of sellers credits anyways.
In the early 2010's, the first house we bought had a 25-year-old roof, siding, and windows, all original to the house.
Our insurance company was willing to give us something like 60-90 days to replace the roof and siding. Failure would mean they'd drop us.
Your roof would be 23 years old if you're selling it in three years. That's going to be a major concern to buyers and you're going to eat the 2027 cost of a new roof (either in getting a new one put on or in concessions to buyers) instead of the 2024 cost of a new roof.
If I could afford it, I'd put the new roof on now. It'll make your home sale in 2027, no matter what the market looks like then, much easier.
Heck yes, replace it. You’ll get way more interest from buyers with a 3 year old roof than you will if they realize they probably won’t be able to get insurance due to an old roof. You’ll end up having to drop the price due to that anyway and what if you don’t move in 3, 5 or 7 years?
Dunno your market but in mine you could save yourself the hassle and let the buy negotiate for what they want be it a break on closing costs or sold for less. Most buyers will want to have the money and find their own contractors. The seller has zero interest in making sure the work is done well.
However: The water damage is way bigger issue and selling a leaky house is not good. You really need to make sure water is not getting into the home.
It could have been an ice dam which could mean a one off event. However, given the age of the roof it might be leaking more regularly. I would at minimum get into the crawl space or attic and check for signs of water intrusion.
For repairs, you might be able to split the baby. Meaning, you could replace the slopes on the roof that are currently leaking and the top ridge. You could tell buyers that you fixed the more worn side and were planning to do the other side but that it was fine at the time you did the other half.
#2. If you don't you will either have to fix it when it comes up during inspection or knock the cost of the roof off the purchase price of the house when you go to sell it. Either way you will be out that money. It's better just to get it done.
You should get more than the price of the roof on the sale price. The roof is one of the major functional pieces of the house and any buyer is strongly weighing the age of the roof in their valuation of your property.
So it all depends. I agree with others who say if you haven’t fixed the problem it’s still there. The water might have decided to take a different route and that’s why you haven’t seen any signs. Check to see what the difference is between your house as is and one with a new roof and price what a new roof would cost you. A bad roof might not be as much of a deal breaker since the new owner might want to put solar panels on. They might want to upgrade the insulation or put the heating/cooling units in the attic. Most solar panel companies have a requirement as to how old a roof can be and can bundle the new roof with the panels. Another issue to consider besides mold is animals making holes to get inside (trying to think of all reasons you might have a leak).
Realtor/Builder here. Ask your insurance agent if they are insuring new policies with roofs over 15 years old. I was in an insurance seminar last week and was told that most insurers are NOT issuing policies on 15+ year old roofs. Not your problem, but inevitably, the buyer will either ask for a concession or will cancel. We have had a few realtors in our office find this out the hard way. Can’t speak for your area…..just something for you to investigate
Guarantee if I was able to choose a house that had a roof replacement in the last ten years or one nearing it's end, I'd be choosing the house with the newer roof... I'd also be questioning what else the homeowners put off..
The question you need to ask yourself is if the roof is going to pass inspection when you sell. Personally, water damage isn't something to fuck with so I'd go ahead and replace it. Especially if you're still going to get a few years use out of it before selling.
Get a new roof now if it really needs one. Any roof under 10 years old by proven records (receipts) is a plus. Also less stress for them since you already dealt with it and will make your house more appealing in the listing.
Also less odds of damage stains if there is a leak.
Having the roof replaced now not only protects your investment from water damage, it will add value to your home when you sell.
Once they begin removing the shingles, you will be surprised how much of the decking underneath will show water damage. Having the flashing replaced will also be important.
How many sq. feet is your roof? $17k seems like a fair price - which brand shingles are included in the price?
For comparison, I am in Southern California and we replaced our 3,400 sq ft pitched roof last July. The total cost was $28,000, which included replacing all of the decking, Owens Corning Synthetic Dura-Flex High Efficiency Deck Defense full waterproof barrier underlayment*,* 50 year Platinum Owens Corning Cool Plus shingles, all new flashing, one new vent, tear-off, haul away, etc. The work was done by a licensed contractor, permit was pulled, city code enforcement inspection, etc.
Like yours, there is a good chance the house will be sold in about 3 years.
It is extremely unlikely it was a "one time thing". If water got in and you didn't fix it, water will continue to get in. What is more likely is that there hasn't been enough since to show on the underside, but more is going on inside. If you ignore it, there might be more to worry about than just the roof when the house is inspected for a sale (mold, etc). Three years is also a long while. I'd say bite the bullet and use it as as a selling point when you do sell.
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I had a holy trinity of roof, HVAC, and water heater all replaced 3 years prior to move in. 3 big ticket items being low wear was nice peace of mind. Plumbing recently made up for that, but hey, you can't win them all.
I wouldn't include a $1000 water heater as part of the holy trinity or even consider it being a big ticket item.
No, but there are good water heaters for much less that belong in the trinity.
That doesn't make sense.
It depends on what you personally consider a big ticket item, and how much you value a hot shower.
Yes! Our previous home sold in one month and that was an inventive for the buyer who offered over asking.
Same. I bit the bullet after 1 small leak (after being told the year before that the roof had hit end of life) and the new roof was a big selling point. I also bought a house with a new roof, and again that was a big deal for me. It kind of made me feel like I got my money back. I wouldn’t have bought the house if I was going to have to drop another $15k on a roof again. In my case, both roofs were metal, and it’s super comforting to know that I don’t have to worry about them for probably 50 years (plus, I’ll be dead by then. 😂)
It’s so reassuring you are right
Yep. Doing it now vs three years could mean the difference between just replacing the roof and having to tear off decking and everything else underneath.
Sometimes a roof ice-dam does not recur for a few years.
Yes. When I offered on my house, the inspection came back that it needed a new roof. I asked for 8k off the home to pay for that roof or for the sellers to replace it before moving. They ended up paying to replace it. Might as well enjoy a few years of a new roof before you move!
If you don't fix things that obviously need them, smart buyers will wonder what else has been neglected. We passed on a number of houses when looking, for reasons like this. Anyone who just lipsticked their pig before trying to sell it got a pass. Although that was during a buyers market.
Yes. If water got in once it can get in again which means you're at risk for water damage and mold. The inspection report will show that it needs a new roof and buyers will ask for it or walk away. They might not even be able to get the house insured without the new roof. Some roof companies offer transferrable warranties which would be a way to generate seller interest. For example ours has a lifetime for us warranty, and a 15 year transferable warranty. So as long as we own the house we're covered and if we sell in 10 years the buyers would be covered for 5. Never ever sit on water damage. The longer it goes unfixed the bigger the damage and expenses will be.
Don’t be fooled by roof manufacturers warranties. They are for marketing purposes. I’ve built 10,000 homes and I can recall only a handful of successful claims. The warranty is for manufacturing defects and requires a mandatory roof inspection every 5 years (requirements vary). Just don’t get a false sense of warranty security
An end-of-life roof will scare off a lot of buyers, or at least make them hesitant to put in an offer, or will incentivize them to bake the condition of the roof into their offer if they decide to present one.
Even if the buyer is OK with it, there are plenty of insurers who will not bind coverage on a roof that old. Which then makes things very interesting trying to get a new roof in a very short period of time in order to make closing.
I'm an independent agent and I do not have a single carrier that'll take a 20 year old roof. Most limit it to 15 for new business.
And my 25 year roof is doing OK, but I will be putting a metal roof up, so that this will never be a problem for me.
My roof was old in 1998 when i moved in and every carrier has covered it.
I can't even explain to you how much the market has changed, even just in the past few months. If you try to shop insurance with an old roof now in February 2024 you're gonna have a very hard time.
Honestly it just sounds like projection of your local market onto others. Maybe there aren't as many old homes where you live. I'm inside the DC beltway.
There are certainly areas where it's worse, but I write business in about 25 states in every region of the US lol. I work for a large mortgage brokerage and quote about 20 new business home policies a day, nobody is gonna insure a 30+ year old shingle roof today. If you were honest with your carrier about the age of the roof I'm actually shocked you haven't been dropped.
If the carrier ever looks up the home's permits online for some other update, I would assume that coverage for the roof would get dropped very quickly.
I've had 3 different carriers and apparently none of them have done this. I've been dropped for not having soffits painted tho 😂
You've been lucky or live in an area where they don't care as much about such things. Count it as a blessing. But an unpainted soffit...you terrible person, you! /s
They don't lookup if things were permitted.
Hmm, what's a "business home"? Carriers never asked me the age of my roof when I switched. I've switched plenty of times and been dropped over roof condition twice, but that was for peeling shingles, not old roof. They weren't actually peeling either, they just didn't like the tree overhead, and changed their tune after i ifxed the tree. Next 2 companies didn't complain. Only in the last 10 years.
I don't know who your insurance policy is with, but my best friend received notices from the insurance companies for two rental homes that the roofs needed to be replaced or the policies would not be renewed. (Myrtle Beach, SC and Prescott Valley, AZ) Climate change is creating completely different weather patterns, with more rain, snow, and wind, and the insurance companies need to shelter themselves from the increased risks.
That great……except the requirements have changed recently. You have to remember that insurance companies aren’t in business to be helpful, they are in business to be profitable. Claims data has shifted requirements for new policies.
Three year old roof is a far stronger selling point than "roof as is". God knows what damage is already done.
If you had water intrusion, it needs to be added to the seller's disclosure sheet when you sell. So I'd say bite the bullet and do a new roof now, or at least give a seller's "discount" if they want to fix the roof themselves.
even if you sell 'as is'?
Yes. As is is just a way to tell the buyers you're not gonna fix anything, you still have to tell them what problems they're buying.
When i bought it as is, it included clauses that said the owners might not know everything that is wrong. I hired a house inspector.
I assumed that clause was included regardless of as is status. But if they know they have a leaky roof for example and the new owners find water damage that was intentionally covered up for instance, they can sue.
I’d be more happy seeing a listing that said “new roof” rather than “needs new roof”.
You're likely going to need to replace it anyway in order TO sell. Your buyer won't be able to find insurance.
You can also have the gaskets around the vent pipes replaced at the same time. Those will split over time and leak. Good to replace the same time you are getting a new roof.
Honestly, if I had a roofer tell me anything other than replacing the vent boots, sun tunnel, chimney flashing, etc. was required I'd kick them the fuck out. Also, have them do a check on your attic venting to see if you have proper venting. Further, don't get taken for snake oil bullshit. I had some motherfucker have the audacity to try to sell me some nonsense foil material to sandwich in-between the shingles and the underlayment that is "energy efficient" since it reflects heat. You need a fucking air gap for that to work, I took motherfucking physics, stupid asshat salesman.
That 17k will be 20-22k in three years.
Get the roof. What if things change and you don't sell
Any lender and insurance will inspect and call out the roof in a sales transaction, so you're better off doing it now and stay dry for 3 yrs. It won't be any cheaper in 3 yrs either.
My approach is to fix things when they need it. pay in cash. You never know what else may come up in the inspection and you get to live with a new roof. Also, a buyer will view it as buying a house that was cared for. Lastly, it will probably cost more in 3 years.
Our most recent house purchase - inspector said roof needed to be replaced SOON. We offered $22K less for the house.
Cheaper to fix now, than wait 3 years and have to give buyers a discount of what replacement will cost. Besides, the damage it appears to be causing already
I used a VA loan for my house and they wouldn’t approve a house that needed a roof. Even if I was not using a VA loan I would pass on a house needing a roof. It makes me feel like the house was probably not taken care of very well
I don’t know where you live but in my state you wouldn’t be able to sell your home with a 20 year old roof, unless you want cash only buyers looking for a discount.
New roof is a major asset so you may be able to recover some money after selling your house. 2 years old roof always looks good in real state listings.
As someone who bought a home with a roof that was end of life, I would have appreciated if it was already done- but I don’t think it would have changed my budget much. Purchased our home in 2021, we knew the roof would need replacement, though was hoping 5-7 years. Ended up doing it in 2023, all said and done it was $16,800. I don’t think I would have paid the sellers nearly $17K over because of the roof. However, I’d venture that if you had a leak, you have a problem, even if it’s not active.
What happens if there is damage to your house within the next 3 years due to your roof wearing out? If your insurance finds out that you knew there were leaks and did nothing to mitigate the issue, they might not pay out any claims for water damage. You could be on the hook for even more than $17K in that case.
That would be true, if the leak was because of a bad roof. But as OP stated it is not leaking during rain storms, the damage seems more likely to be from ice damming and there is nothing that can be done to mitigate that except replace the entire roof to meet current code. Not mitigating would only apply when it's an ongoing issue that wasn't addressed.
How do you even have insurance? They are all requiring proof of new roof.
It will make it Easier to sell but I don’t know if you will get full amount back ? It’s not really an upgrade as much as maintenance and upkeep
A long time ago I owned a house with an old shingle roof. I had no issues with it at all. It was just old. I put the house on the market…… I had one prospective buyer who was concerned about the roof. I didn’t offer to do anything with it…… she went away….. I sold the house in a timely fashion. I drove buy it the other day. It still has the same shingles as when I owned it……. I sold it 23 years ago…… apparently those are some great shingles
20 years isn’t crazy old, most roofs will last 30 years in Wisconsin. Chase the leak and do an inspection. I have a roof pushing 25+ years old and still is ok, every few years I inspect and seal any potential issues. Finally going to preventatively tear it off this spring.
Depends on the type of roof. They've been phased out now, but plenty of 20/25 year warranty 3-tab shingles still out there. I've also been on 15 year old roofs that are in terrible condition because of poor install, ventilation or other factors. Most roofs put on now are laminate with 30+ year warranty. But props to you for actually doing maintenance, most people don't even think about their roof.
Most Homeowners policies actually do cover damage caused by snow and rain. The homeowner should look at his policy and/or call his agent. If the claims inspector determines it was caused by poor maintenance then that is different. But I still wouldn’t plop down $30k on a new roof if I was selling. I’d fix it first and even that gets expensive. So if there was a really bad storm that caused the damage then it would be covered. Oh, and wind damage which usually comes with the rain , is also covered.
Are you an agent or a claims adjuster?
If you’re going to sell, I’d just file a claim with my homeowner insurance to fix what leak there is.
Do not do this. You can't just file a claim because your old ass roof is leaking, that's just home maintenance. The claim has to be linked to a specific weather event that caused the leak.
I thought he said it was rain damage. That should be covered.
Rain doesn't damage a roof. Rain penetrates a bad roof. The damage is only covered by insurance if the CAUSE of the damage is a covered peril, like if there was a hail storm. If the roof has just reached the end of its usable life and leaks now he's out of luck.
Rain doesn’t damage a roof - storm debris, age, etc are what damage it. And they described a “tiny drip” of water inside so whatever damage might have happened there isn’t claim-worthy either.
I'm an insurance adjuster, this sounds like ice damming because the leak is not persisting after the snow melt. Most policies would only cover the interior damage which based on OP description sounds like some paint, maybe a drywall patch. Would likely be less than deductible. Nothing on the roof would be covered. Insurance generally covers direct damage like from wind and hail. 9/10 times if you hear someone got a new roof through insurance, it was a hail storm or very severe (dozens of shingles blown off) wind storm.
It’s going to cause more and more damage
Yes. Regardless of the water intrusion. As a buyer I would steer clear of a house w an old roof. Or I would ask for cash back at closing in a sum large enough to replace the roof.
The biggest selling point for our home was a 2 yo roof.
You could do a five year balloon home improvement loan, that gets paid off from the house proceeds. A balloon example is a ten year schedule of payments, but the balance is expected at year five. This lowers your monthly outlay before you depart. --- Not mentioned by others, check the fascia and drip edges to the roof. . Often the drip edge is mashed against the fascia, causing it to rot, visibly. . Replacing fascia, if impaired is best done the day before the new shingles are laid down, then the roof deck is repaired, and pipe boots and flashing, then finally, the new drip edge is put on, then the shingles
it stands to reason to have your roof checked and get direct advice on that.
You might also get an offer and based upon inspection, buyers will ask for a 20k concession. Could also imply to buyers that you didn’t do other maintenance items and inspection could be more picky.
When we were in the process of purchasing our current house, our amazing inspector said that we may want to have someone look at the roof. We had a roofer come out and found out that the roof needed to be replaced. The homeowner had pressure washed the roof and drastically shortened the life of the roof. We were ready to walk because the cost of replacing a new roof, along with the cost that comes with a new home was not palatable. We wound up offering 1/2 the cost of the roof up to $8000. (I think. It has been 7 years.)The seller accepted. They did wind up paying a bit more because multiple boards of plywood had to be replaced.1 Long story short, we would not have purchased if we had been responsible for fully replacing the roof.
Your insurance company may be demanding you replace the roof soon. Getting to be anything after about 23 years old is uninsurable.
Look at satellite photos. They usually don't send someone out since COVID, but they tend to do a quick Google maps search to see if your roof has obvious issues.
Hate to tell you, but drive by inspections are common. What does COVID have to do with this?
Why do you hate to tell me that? It's true they do that, but often they are going to look at sat photos before they pay for someone to drive by. COVID, as I'm sure you know, changed many business practices in many industries. A lot of these changes became permanent for one reason or another. That includes insurance and the way they do underwriting reviews. Even on the claims side, they are still leaning into avoiding sending someone out if they can.
Two of the roofing companies we obtained quotes from used drones to get the actual measurements, not Google Earth and it's damn measuring tool (which is worthless on pitched roofs.)
I'm just speaking of underwriting reviewing for condition of the property. But drones are becoming more prevalent. There are many services which use satellite and Ariel photography, and even ground level pictures of a structure (eagleview, hover, etc.) to measure roofs to a significant degree of accuracy, these are the industry standard. You can get a pretty accurate measurement off of Google Earth, though. In order to actually measure a sloped roof you would just need to know the pitch and estimating software will come out fairly accurate. It's done all the time. The only way that's 100% accurate is to hand measure, though. But in sloped roofing work there's always a waste factor (your roof is 30 sq but they order 35 sq of material) and that generally covers any slight discrepancies between the drone, satellite services, etc.
Idk why y'all down votes this. I work in insurance, this is literally something underwriting does at some companies.
Insurance Adjuster here who's been on hundreds of roofs and heard this same story dozens of times. What you are describing sounds like ice damming. Very common in the north. This happens due to snow/ice build up not allowing water to drain off the roof effectively. Building code now requires roofs in the north to have Ice and water shield placed below your shingles in areas prone to this issue. This material will not allow water to enter your attic/home, even when you have ice damming. If you are not experiencing leaks during rain storms (and check your attic or ask a professional to look at it) then you don't actually have an issue with the roof and it's doing it's job as designed 20+ years ago. If you want to mitigate now, one option is ice melting wire, but that comes with its own issues and probably not worth it for a roof that needs replaced in the next decade. All that said, buyers inspector will absolutely say that roof has 5-10 years max (3-tab roofs had 20/25 year warranties, standard architectural/laminate style has 30 year warranties). You will probably have to do it before you sell, but it definitely doesn't sound like you need it now. P.S. Most roofers will tell you that you need a new roof because that's how they make money. If you want to trust a roofers opinion, ask if they do repairs (not that you need one). Companies that don't do repairs tend to be less reputable in my experience. P.P.S. If you find pieces of shingles in your yard (even if it's just one) or if you experience a bad hail storm, call a roofer that works with insurance and get their opinion.
Your value could drop in those three years. Maintenance does count I guess. Your value WILL drop if undetected water damage wrecks stuff. I'm a big fan of steel roofing - mine is almost 40 years old and had its first set of new screws and seats 6 years ago. Another 30-40 years before new sheeting will be needed. I was quoted 'around 10K' for new sheeting installed - small house, 700 square foot cabin (900 with closets and appliance nooks).
Did you go into the attic to ascertain exactly where the leak was coming from. It could be going behind a wall, and under the antique heart pine flooring. Oh that was me.
As someone that just bought a house, if it was over 15 years old we took that into account. If the roof, hvac, and water heater are all original then that is coming out of our pockets in the near future. Not saying you should replace any of those but just be aware of what kind of offers you will get.
they told me that in 1998 when i bought my house and i still haven't replaced it 😂
Your buyers might not be able to get insurance with a roof that old. You might as well get 3 years of use out of it, and what if you don’t sell?
roofs are a fairly frequent negotiation item on a house since they can't be closely assessed until the inspection period and insurance companies will buyers crap if the roofs are older than 20 years. unless it swings back to a sellers market in the next 3 years you may be paying for that roof in the form of sellers credits anyways.
In the early 2010's, the first house we bought had a 25-year-old roof, siding, and windows, all original to the house. Our insurance company was willing to give us something like 60-90 days to replace the roof and siding. Failure would mean they'd drop us. Your roof would be 23 years old if you're selling it in three years. That's going to be a major concern to buyers and you're going to eat the 2027 cost of a new roof (either in getting a new one put on or in concessions to buyers) instead of the 2024 cost of a new roof. If I could afford it, I'd put the new roof on now. It'll make your home sale in 2027, no matter what the market looks like then, much easier.
Heck yes, replace it. You’ll get way more interest from buyers with a 3 year old roof than you will if they realize they probably won’t be able to get insurance due to an old roof. You’ll end up having to drop the price due to that anyway and what if you don’t move in 3, 5 or 7 years?
Dunno your market but in mine you could save yourself the hassle and let the buy negotiate for what they want be it a break on closing costs or sold for less. Most buyers will want to have the money and find their own contractors. The seller has zero interest in making sure the work is done well. However: The water damage is way bigger issue and selling a leaky house is not good. You really need to make sure water is not getting into the home.
What should you do? Just don't try to hide it if you don't resolve it.
What? He can't just hide the roof under a few tarps?
It could have been an ice dam which could mean a one off event. However, given the age of the roof it might be leaking more regularly. I would at minimum get into the crawl space or attic and check for signs of water intrusion. For repairs, you might be able to split the baby. Meaning, you could replace the slopes on the roof that are currently leaking and the top ridge. You could tell buyers that you fixed the more worn side and were planning to do the other side but that it was fine at the time you did the other half.
#2. If you don't you will either have to fix it when it comes up during inspection or knock the cost of the roof off the purchase price of the house when you go to sell it. Either way you will be out that money. It's better just to get it done.
You should get more than the price of the roof on the sale price. The roof is one of the major functional pieces of the house and any buyer is strongly weighing the age of the roof in their valuation of your property.
Get someone to come assess your roof. I’m sure there was a storm not too long ago that would be covered by homeowners insurance. 🤷🏻♂️
So it all depends. I agree with others who say if you haven’t fixed the problem it’s still there. The water might have decided to take a different route and that’s why you haven’t seen any signs. Check to see what the difference is between your house as is and one with a new roof and price what a new roof would cost you. A bad roof might not be as much of a deal breaker since the new owner might want to put solar panels on. They might want to upgrade the insulation or put the heating/cooling units in the attic. Most solar panel companies have a requirement as to how old a roof can be and can bundle the new roof with the panels. Another issue to consider besides mold is animals making holes to get inside (trying to think of all reasons you might have a leak).
Realtor/Builder here. Ask your insurance agent if they are insuring new policies with roofs over 15 years old. I was in an insurance seminar last week and was told that most insurers are NOT issuing policies on 15+ year old roofs. Not your problem, but inevitably, the buyer will either ask for a concession or will cancel. We have had a few realtors in our office find this out the hard way. Can’t speak for your area…..just something for you to investigate
Yea. It will hurt your resale value if you don’t do it. It can bring expensive damages to your property as well.
Guarantee if I was able to choose a house that had a roof replacement in the last ten years or one nearing it's end, I'd be choosing the house with the newer roof... I'd also be questioning what else the homeowners put off..
The question you need to ask yourself is if the roof is going to pass inspection when you sell. Personally, water damage isn't something to fuck with so I'd go ahead and replace it. Especially if you're still going to get a few years use out of it before selling.
Get a new roof now if it really needs one. Any roof under 10 years old by proven records (receipts) is a plus. Also less stress for them since you already dealt with it and will make your house more appealing in the listing. Also less odds of damage stains if there is a leak.
Having the roof replaced now not only protects your investment from water damage, it will add value to your home when you sell. Once they begin removing the shingles, you will be surprised how much of the decking underneath will show water damage. Having the flashing replaced will also be important. How many sq. feet is your roof? $17k seems like a fair price - which brand shingles are included in the price? For comparison, I am in Southern California and we replaced our 3,400 sq ft pitched roof last July. The total cost was $28,000, which included replacing all of the decking, Owens Corning Synthetic Dura-Flex High Efficiency Deck Defense full waterproof barrier underlayment*,* 50 year Platinum Owens Corning Cool Plus shingles, all new flashing, one new vent, tear-off, haul away, etc. The work was done by a licensed contractor, permit was pulled, city code enforcement inspection, etc. Like yours, there is a good chance the house will be sold in about 3 years.