Roof Problems & Selling Your Home: Repair The Roof Or Sell “As-Is”?

Roof DamageRoof repairs can be an expensive endeavor, so to many homeowners looking to sell their home, the temptation to sell a home “As-is” can be attractive.  Getting a home ready to sell isn’t a fun activity and many are always looking for way to sell their home quickly with little muss and fuss. Asking themselves, “Is the paint really that bad? Will replacing the shingles on the roof really factor in to how fast or how much my home sells for? Do I really need to repair my 20-year old roof?” sellers can spend hours and days going back and forth on why or why not repair the roof?

Would the question be more difficult if say a tree fell onto the house, ripping a hole the size of van into the roof? If you are marketing the home as a tear down, obviously the price would need to be lowered, but repairs would be a waste. In the case of most other sellers, the question would obviously be quickly answered with a “Yes, you should repair the roof before you sell!”.

Unfortunately in the real world, things aren’t always so cut and dry, different situations and markets make answering this question a little more complicated but with just a little knowledge and some research, you should be able to answer this question and do what you need to do with confidence.

Making The Decision

Take stock of your home, the current market conditions, and nearby home sales activity. Like any major part of your home like electrical, appliances, and plumbing you should know as much as you can about your roof before listing your home. Get a complete inspection from a local home inspector to get a better picture of what could and could not be problems for home buyers or lenders (if financing is required). If the inspection reveals potential problems with the roof, whether minor or major than you should answer a few more questions.

What Is Wrong With The Roof?

A home inspector isn’t an expert in roofing, but if he brings up some potential problems with the roof, now is the time to call in a local, reputable roof contractor to inspect further. Bring in a few to compare prices and so you can factor in whether it’s worth fixing pre-sale or whether it’s reasonable to  just lower the price of your home to compensate.

Why Would You Choose To Repair The Roof Prior To Listing It?

The main reason to repair a roof prior to listing a home on the market is to sell it faster. Well-maintained homes sell much quicker not only because they look better during tours but makes things much easier on the buyer who can make a decision without deciding on what is and what is not “worth the hassle” when it comes to problems with the home.

Why Would You Choose To Sell It “As-Is”?

The only answers to this question is either you can’t afford it or simply don’t want to deal with it. In both cases it’s important to know that this decision can have a negative impact on the final sales price. This is where knowing the current market conditions and what similar homes around you have sold for. If you in a “sellers market”, you could get lucky and the homebuyers may accept the home with minor maintenance problems with the roof just to ensure they get the home without affecting the final sales price.

However, if a lender is involved, this could complicate matters. Normally, lenders don’t make a big fuss over minor issues with a roof, but if the roof is older and nearing the end if it’s useful lifespan or has major problems, they could (and often will) make roof repairs a condition of the loan being approved. This puts the repairs back into the sellers hands and is usually required to close. Although in some cases, extremely motivated buyers will split the costs or cover a percentage, don’t count on it.

So basically it all comes down to, if the roof is near the end of it’s useful life, just replace it, if not, consider how quickly you want to sell, current market conditions, what similar homes around you sell for and what is actually wrong and how much it will cost to fix and make a decision based on those answers.

 

In Metro Atlanta, call Atlanta Roofing Spetcialists at 770-419-2222 for any questions about your roof and to schedule a free roof inspection today!

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