We really do think of everything when it comes to selling our homes. We’ll decorate them in neutral tones of beige and off-white, offering prospective buyers a completely blank canvas on which they can imagine their new life. Then there’s the decorating of cookies and bread to make your home smell like a nice and cosy little space, plus the addition of soft fabrics and comfortable soft furnishings. And yet still, even after all of your hard work, buyers are still only interested in your home if the price is lowered.



Why?
A potential new buyer of your home will have a pretty good idea whether or not they’re interested just by looking at the exterior — really looking at it, not just looking at it through pictures on a brochure. A few steps outside of the property and they can get a good feel for how loved or cared for the property is, and a lot of that is down to the condition of the roof. It’s been suggested that between forty and fifty percent of potential buyers will walk away from an ideal home if the roof is not in the best condition. If you’ve ever had a viewer walk away before they’ve even stepped foot inside the property, you might just have discovered the reason why.

Anyone who is considering buying the property will see a roof with signs of disrepair as an added expense, on top of the original house sale itself. Tiles or shingles that are missing and/or broken will need to be repaired, and these are sometimes much more obvious to other people — complete strangers — than they are to you. The same goes for poorly-maintained guttering, a lot of moss or algae growth, or even just a very dirty roof. They work as red warning flags to prospective buyers — they are problems that will need to be resolved at some point. You may find that some buyers include roof-specific clauses in the contract, meaning you will need to shell out for the work before the sale is finalized. A buyer could also ask for the price of the building to be reduced in order to allow for them to sort out any necessary repairs themselves.

But you can stop this.
A roofing contractor or company will complete an assessment of the roof before letting you know what damage is already there, what could come about in the future, what you need to do to stop anything from getting worse, and how to prevent any future problems — the same or otherwise. Some companies offer this inspection for free, and we recommend getting inspections or estimates from at least two or three different contractors. That is, of course, unless you have one that you regularly use and trust. They aren’t just the big roof installation or complete replacement jobs; they can also take care of all those small and difficult ones too … including the assessment.

Some things might be visible from ground level, such as missing shingles, broken fascias, torn-down guttering, etc. Other things, such as splits in the underlay or small but potentially hazardous cracks through the cladding might not be so obvious. If you only inspect the roof from ground level, even with a pair of binoculars, there will be areas or damage that you have missed. As well as physically getting up on the roof, whoever is inspecting the structure will also need to have a good look around your attic. Once problems are diagnosed, they can be treated. All of those little things that could put a potential new buyer off will be resolved. No more broken shingles. No more broken fascias. No more torn-down guttering. Zero damage means that the buyer will have no reason to find fault with the roof, and also fewer reasons to argue with your asking price.

Of course, you could above and beyond just a simple inspection. Roof cleaning, for example, is good to give an old, but still sturdy and reliable roof a new lease of life. This gets rid of all sorts of problems, including moss and algae growth, leaf dams clogging up on the guttering, and just debris and trash that has been blown up on top of your house. You could also combine that with roof coating if you wanted the structure to look almost brand new again. Using various products, after a good clean, your roofer will coat your roof in any color or finish you could think of. You could end up with a brand new looking roof, and not just a clean one. When your roof looks and is to be in good condition, you can ask top dollar for your home, as well as being able to provide the evidence needed to show that you cared for your home. Why not have a chat with your local roofer to see which steps could profitable for you?

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