Do I need to replace the roof before selling my house?

[FreshTressa]

It does not, nor has it ever leaked, but when we bought the house 6 years ago, the inspector said it would need to be replaced in about three years.

It looks fine too, no curling, no leaking etc.

But it is at least 20 years old, maybe 30.

I hate to spend $6,000 on a new roof! But then, if I have to I have to.

Remember, it is an old house in an old neighborhood with houses only in fair condition.

Oh, and it is a regular tarpaper and asphalt shingle roof.

 

[just.me]

have you consulted a realtor??

 

[golfgal]

You don't have to replace the roof but do take that into consideration with your price. Having a new roof is a big selling point though.

 

[FreshTressa]

I have to use my best friend's husband, who has only been a realtor for a few months.

He has no clue about this stuff.

 

[FreshTressa]

I wonder if I will get 6k more out of the house?

 

[Cindyluwho]

I have to use my best friend's husband, who has only been a realtor for a few months.

He has no clue about this stuff.

Well, we were all new once But, you should insist that he bring in a more experienced partner or his broker to help him, otherwise he won't be worth what you'll end up paying him.
In regards to the roof - you do not have to put the new roof on before you sell and NO it won't add $6K to the value of your home. You will, however, most likely have to pay to have the roof replaced as part of your purchase and sale agreement. Your buyer will most likely hire an inspector who will "call" the roof. Expect to pay at least half of the cost of the roof for the buyers. You'll most likely have to pay the full cost but it really depends on the market. Here in Seattle houses are pretty scarce and buyers aren't asking for much for fear they'll lose the deal. Best of luck to you and you can PM me for any other questions you have.

 

[FreshTressa]

Thank you soo soo much for your answer!

I like to get multiple opinions too, because it is hard to trust peoples motivation when money is involved!

 

[barkley]

i think it also depends on what type of "market" you're in (don't mean buyers or sellers ). there are some areas around us where every house sold will be "flipped" and resold in a couple of months, or the buyers are looking for something they can get at a good price and remodel to suit their tastes. in that circumstance putting in anything new does'nt result in any price increase.

my mil has been planning on putting her house on the market for MONTHS but keeps doing repairs (and some major) and new paint and new carpets and landscaping. unfortunatly she lives in an area wherein most of the houses are torn down to the studs and rebuilt (people want to live in "napa proper" and if they get an old home on a decent sized lot they can tear it to the studs and it's considered remodeling vs. new construction so they save big bucks on permits and avoiding some new construction laws)-theres a definate ceiling on what folks will pay (albiet absolutly nuts-600-700K for a less than 1000 sq ft/2 bedroom tract house ) so she's unlikely to see anything more for all the money and effort she's putting out.

a good realtor will come in and tell you what does/does not need to be done prior to listing. they will also tell you what can be held off doing and negotiated into the selling price (my mom sold a few years back and had a wierd thing going on with her foundation, we had experts determine the way to fix it and the cost-then disclosed to potential buyers with a price reduction over comparable homes such to cover their expense in repairing it).

do you realy have to use your best friend's hubby as your realtor? i think if i had an alternative choice i would likely go with it-i hate having to deal with friends in such huge financial matters.

 

[believe]

When we sold our house the inspector said one portion needed replace immediately, about $500, and that the rest needed to be replaced in a few years. The buyers said it all needed replaced. We told the buyers we would give them the $500, but that was it. They took it. I would wait and see what happens...make sure you are their for their inspector, otherwise the buyers may twist the words of the inspector.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

No it will not add value. Regular maintenence of your home is a given, expected.
It is something you are required to do to maintain "top selling price" for your home.

When the inspector comes for the buyer they will probably say the roof needs to be replaced in which case they will demand you to do it or they say they will waive it and take care of it themselves, but the asking pirce will drop for the cost of the roof.

 

[nliedel]

We bought a house almost two years ago and were not told it needed a new roof. We did not have it inspected so the fault is ours. If we had known that we would have offered less money for the house but we still would have purchased it. The owners 100% knew that it needed to be repaired (the man who put the new one on did an estimate for them before they put it on the market). I just wish they had been honest with us. It really hurt that they lied when we asked them about it. I know, the fault is ours in the end but it would have meant a lot for a little honesty. This was the first house we purchased. If you don't do it be honest about it.

 

[Cindyluwho]

We bought a house almost two years ago and were not told it needed a new roof. We did not have it inspected so the fault is ours. If we had known that we would have offered less money for the house but we still would have purchased it. The owners 100% knew that it needed to be repaired (the man who put the new one on did an estimate for them before they put it on the market). I just wish they had been honest with us. It really hurt that they lied when we asked them about it. I know, the fault is ours in the end but it would have meant a lot for a little honesty. This was the first house we purchased. If you don't do it be honest about it.

In regards to your post, a couple of questions:
1. Did you work with a realtor? Was the Realtor also the listing agent?
2. Did the realtor not advise a structural inspection?
3. Were you given a copy of the Form 17 (Property disclosure statement)?

I'm trying to figure out what kind of realtor wouldn't cover his rear end and beg or even insist you get an inspection. If the agent was also the listing agent then he was working for the seller and didn't need to advise you that's why it's always a good idea to have your OWN agent. Your own agent is still paid by the seller, not by you the buyer. And the Form 17 has to list, by law, any defects that are known to the seller. Perhaps in your state there's no such thing as a property disclosure? If you were given a Form 17 and it didn't mention the roof, it's time for an attorney to get involved.

 

[nliedel]

In regards to your post, a couple of questions:
1. Did you work with a realtor? Was the Realtor also the listing agent?
QUOTE]

nope and that was the problem. As you can imagine we suggest people buy with Realtors now.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

When we sold our last house we knew that the roof likely needed to be replaced, but we did not go ahead and have it done. The roof did not pass inspection and we then had it done, so we were no worse off than if we had of had it reroofed initially since it would not have added any value to the house (the offer was for 100% of what we were asking for the house). I would wait if I were you and expect to do it after the inspection, but do not let on to the buyers agent that you expect to reroof!

 

[FreshTressa]

A house two blocks from mine...same size, worse condition, just had multiple offers on it and they are waiving the inspection.

I think this will help!

 

[Towncrier]

I suppose that it depends on the community where you are selling. In our town, the inspector comes by AFTER the sale but BEFORE the transfer to the new owners and lets you know what you (as the seller) must fix before the transfer can complete. I know several people who have been stuck repairing their roof or redoing concrete driveways and sidewalks in order to complete the sale of their homes. Seems like an underhanded way of doing things to me, but that's the rules in my neck of the woods.

You probably need to check your local regulations to know exactly what you must disclose and what you must repair.

 

[Cindyluwho]

I suppose that it depends on the community where you are selling. In our town, the inspector comes by AFTER the sale but BEFORE the transfer to the new owners and lets you know what you (as the seller) must fix before the transfer can complete. I know several people who have been stuck repairing their roof or redoing concrete driveways and sidewalks in order to complete the sale of their homes. Seems like an underhanded way of doing things to me, but that's the rules in my neck of the woods.

You probably need to check your local regulations to know exactly what you must disclose and what you must repair.

That may be the appraiser not an actual "inspector" that is calling the work to be done. A lender will not lend on a property that has certain defects, the roof being one of them, so if the appraiser calls for work to be done then the seller has to take care of it for the sale to close or can choose not to sell the home. Even if a buyer waives the inspection the house still has to appraise in order for the buyer to get a loan.

 

[ceiligh1]

A house two blocks from mine...same size, worse condition, just had multiple offers on it and they are waiving the inspection.

I think this will help!

The buyer of our last house wanted to waive the inspection but then had to have one to be financed. Because they offered with a no inspection clause though we didnt have to repair anything they found. We could have walked away at that point but we were fine with it, just a minor issue.

Have you thought of having the roof inspected for you before you go to sell it. It might be that you can do a little repair and get a 5 year cert without having to re roof. Just a thought.