Thought on replacing roof before sale?

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jharkin
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Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by jharkin »

OK, I'm struggling with this one - looking for opinions.
We have been in our house just under 10 years. Owe 250k @3.5% and its valued somewhere 375-400ish. Plan is to sell and trade up to a larger house within 2-3 years (right now its 4 of us in 1300 sq ft with one bath - we need more space). This is Boston metro - housing market is strong right now but who knows the future...

Situation... the roof is getting tired. 30 year warranty architectural shingles that are about 20 years old right now. The sunny front of the house looks great, but the shaded areas in the back have some mossy spots. And there is a low sloped area that's prone to ice damming. We do get occasional small leaks in the ceiling in that area (drips) if the ice dams get bad enough and I dont get get snow off. I dont believe the shingles themselves are failing yet, because we dont get leaks during rain.. I suspect (current roofer agrees) that they simply didn't use enough ice and water shield under the shingles when it was last done in the 90s.

I've had everything else done short of heat strips to try and mitigate the ice - insulation upgrades, etc. Its just an old house (200+ years old).

I had my garage redone a couple years ago with a great roofer and he just gave me an estimate to do the house to match this summer. $14k for the whole job. $9k of is strip and reroof with GAF lifetime architectural shingles, and cover the entire back side roof with Grace ice shield. The other $5k is is to completely re-deck in new 1/2 ply before re-shingling (needed as the current roof deck is 220 year old pine board sheathing, its getting tired - lots of broken boards and gaps that make it hard to nail the shingles on).

Lot of work, but I'm fairly sure it will fix the ice/leak problems for good, and I would do it in a heartbeat if I was going to stay in the house long term. I have the cash on hand to do it without touching the EF. The question is - since I am going to list the house in 2 years anyway, should I bother.. or just deal with it for 1-2 more winters and negotiate when it eventually comes up in a buyers inspection?
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

Want to sell house quickly? A new roof is helpful. Let’s say market is hot, the one that needs less maintenance will sell even quicker and maybe for more. Let’s say the market is colder, one that has no deficiencies may sell quicker than as my b-i-l likes to call it “lipstick on a pig”.
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dcabler
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by dcabler »

Had a nearly identical situation a few years ago. The house was in Louisiana and had a small amount of damage from Katrina that I hadn't yet had fixed. At the end of the day, I decided I couldn't put it on the market in good conscience knowing there was physical damage. I did, however, put the cheapest roof possible on it. :-)

For you, if you're waiting two years, you have no idea what the housing market will look like then. If it's still rocketing, it won't matter. If things slow down, then you might find that you need every advantage. We're in a similar situation as I expect to sell our house in about 2 years or so and downsize. And its new roof time - again, I see no reason to put the type of roof on it I would put on it if I planned on living here for a decade or more. Good enough to get it sold and move on....
pennylane
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by pennylane »

Housing market has started to slow down in my area and I suspect the rest of the country is the same due to rising interest rates.
Polenta
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by Polenta »

I am in the roofing business. A new roof will help the house sell quickly. However if you can sell the house without a new roof you might be able to negotiate the roofing needs with the new owner and come out ahead of what you would pay now.

If the sunny side roof looks good and the northern only has black streaks or moss , a cleaning product sprayed on the roof can make that roof look like new. I would suggest a product call spray and forget. Its an amazing product and will clean up the roof to look like new but it takes 3-6 months to do its job naturally with rainfall. You can speed up the process by making a stronger mix and watering the roof yourself every day with a hose. I've seen folks replace roofs that don't need to be replaced just because they look molding and mossy when the roof itself was in good shape. Also a roofer will do a few spot repairs for you. personally I would let the new owner deal with a new roof as their preferences might be difference than yours.

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jharkin
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by jharkin »

Thanks for the inputs so far.... Polenta I was in fact considering exactly what you suggested + maybe adding heat strips. The back roof is low enough I can easily get up there with a ladder to clean it myself.

Right now, in my town houses 300-600k are selling on list day with bidding wars. I'm thinking let it ride , hold the cash, and if i comes up split the difference... or if the market looks soft when we list do it at that point as inexpensive as I can.

The other thing I have to remind myself... its a 200 year old small house and a mile up the street are 750k+ McMansions... It would make me very sad but there is always the possibility the next owner may tear it down... or rip off the roof to put on a huge addition ( there is land to build on).


But keep the opinions coming...
Last edited by jharkin on Sat Jun 16, 2018 9:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Bogle7 »

If the roof is not leaking.
If you will absolutely sell in 2 years.

Ask your selling agent what to do in 1.9 years.

We put a new, high quality roof on 4 weeks before it went on the market.
It was a 99% buyers market at that time (2010).
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Yooper16
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by Yooper16 »

The spray and forget works really well for appearance and for the mossy clumps etc. If the north side is also somewhat shady try thinning out the tree limbs about--- little bit extra sunlight and air can help dry out the shingles.

Realizing that the house is 200 years old, you are apparently still having enough of an air leak to the attic/soffit area where the ice dams happen. While the water shield will def. help but not actually fixing the issue, and is a reasonable place to start.

Slightly off topic--- I have been being treated by an infectious disease Dr. for about 6 months now due to mold issues seen in lung xray, but not yet in the bloodstream. If anyone in your household has been having "oddball for them" illness--something to consider. I mention this since you have stated noticing leaks on the ceiling.
chevca
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by chevca »

I would do it.

Assuming the next buyer has an inspection done, it's going to cost you one way or another. They would likely ask for it to be replaced, or ask for however much off the purchase price. Having it replaced now will make the sale that much easier.

Plus you get to live roof leak free for a couple years.

I had an older house with a low slope roof and it leaked like crazy after a few years of owning it. That was the most stressful thing I've ever dealt with as a homeowner! I hated having a leaky roof! I put a bunch of money into a metal roof to fix it and forget about leaks... then sold the place about a year and a half later. That wasn't a planned move, but it sure made it easier to sell having the roof set up for worry free living.

I also sold an accidental rental house a few years ago that had some hail damage to the roof found during the inspection. The buyers wanted the roof replaced, or however much off the purchase price. I just had it replaced and they took the money out of the sale transaction.

A bad roof does not an easy house sale make.
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dm200
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by dm200 »

Things like this older roof issue can sometimes cause delay in closing and/or disputes with the buyer before settlement - or even after, in some cases. It all depends on the details as well as the local market at the time of listing the property. I might discuss it with a local professional real estate agent.

Replacing it now can give the overall positive impression of good care and maintenance.
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by random_walker_77 »

If the market is screaming hot, it doesn't matter. Otherwise, it's to your advantage to get it fixed before it goes on the market. As a seller, your incentive is to get it replaced to be "good enough." No need to get the lifetime shingles vs cheap shingles -- the odds are the buyer isn't going to value the premium you'd pay. When I got my roof replaced, I think the warranty didn't transfer if the house was sold... check on that.

As a buyer, I've got the funds and would almost prefer to do the roof myself so that I could pay for what I wanted. As one example, (perhaps not in Boston), if one wanted solar panels, the best time is when you're putting on a new roof. Or perhaps someone prefers a metal roof.

Most home buyers aren't like me though. They want a hassle-free transaction, and to move in knowing the house is ready and that no other major expenses are imminent. They could well be stretching financially and looking at depleted reserves so any major heater/painting/roof expenses are best handled before they buy. For them, the monthly payment is what they're eyeballing, and they'd much rather that a new roof be rolled into the deductible mortgage payment rather than show up as a major item they have to pay out of savings.
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by CurlyDave »

My experience has been that sunlight is what actually damages shingles, and that the south side of a roof will deteriorate long before the north side. It is not unknown for people to re-shingle only the south side of a building. The moss is unsightly, but not really that damaging.

Clean the shingles on the north side, install the heat strips and let it go.

I strongly suspect that if you have 22 year old 30 year shingles, a house inspection will come back with a projected life of 10 years. This is long enough to not be an issue for a buyer.
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by BUBear29 »

Just went through this two weeks ago. I knew the roof needed to be replaced at some point but it was in good working condition. So I decided tonlist with the roof as is. Well we received several offers and ultimate buyers insurance would not insure roof (which is ridiculous because the inspector himself told me it was insurable - insurance companies...). Anyways, buyer asked me to replace roof, so I got several quotes, offered to meet halfway on lowest quote and it was accepted.

If the market is good, it will sell but you may have to compromise. You may not have to pay for the whole thing though! So if your roof is in serviceable condition, I vote dont replace. It may save you some money!
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jharkin
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by jharkin »

Follow up:

We where all set to just "live with it" and deal with the replacement in sale negotiations. I even hosed the roof down with never rinse and its starting to look better :)

Then we had a big thunderstorm and it leaked during rain :(

So now its appearing that I will have to bite the bullet and just do it.



Thanks again for all the advice.
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by gtg970g »

The answer depends on whether you believe a buyer would renovate after purchase. Are smaller houses such as yours selling and being renovated immediately to double or triple the size? In our market this is what is happening to every house <2500 sq ft so a new roof would add nothing to the sell-ability of the house.
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by lthenderson »

It depends on the market.

I do agree that a new roof will help the house sell quicker BUT I also would bet that you won't get your money back out of the new roof. If you install a new roof and then two years later sell, I would guess you would be lucky to get <50% of that money back in increased sale value. Essentially you will be financing the roof for the next owners.
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by Sandtrap »

You can just do a "re roof" with contractor grade shingles. You do not need to go overboard with spending.
If there are 2 layers, some contractors will put a third. Others may recommend a tear out down to deck and then reroof. You do not need to do anything but a basic reroof at that point. No upgrades. The point is that the home has a "new roof" and that is a selling point. How much you spent on it or how many extras you put into it does not raise the selling price.
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by pshonore »

In my opinion, the bulk of ice dams are caused by passage of warm air through ceilings into attics with poor insulation and/or poor ventilation. Just replacing the roof may not solve that although the fact that the roof leaked during a thunder storm may indicate something else (assuming no gutter overflow, etc.)
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by pshonore »

Sandtrap wrote: Wed Jul 11, 2018 9:35 am You can just do a "re roof" with contractor grade shingles. You do not need to go overboard with spending.
If there are 2 layers, some contractors will put a third. Others may recommend a tear out down to deck and then reroof. You do not need to do anything but a basic reroof at that point. No upgrades. The point is that the home has a "new roof" and that is a selling point. How much you spent on it or how many extras you put into it does not raise the selling price.
j
I would think a third layer would not be allowed by code in most places especially for an 200 year old house where the rafters may not be to code either.
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by Sandtrap »

pshonore wrote: Wed Jul 11, 2018 9:43 am
Sandtrap wrote: Wed Jul 11, 2018 9:35 am You can just do a "re roof" with contractor grade shingles. You do not need to go overboard with spending.
If there are 2 layers, some contractors will put a third. Others may recommend a tear out down to deck and then reroof. You do not need to do anything but a basic reroof at that point. No upgrades. The point is that the home has a "new roof" and that is a selling point. How much you spent on it or how many extras you put into it does not raise the selling price.
j
I would think a third layer would not be allowed by code in most places especially for an 200 year old house where the rafters may not be to code either.
Yes. Each County, State, Area, have different variations on adding a 3rd layer. A reputable, licensed, insured, roofing contractor would know. It would be easy for the OP to make a few calls and find out.
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jharkin
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by jharkin »

Sandtrap wrote: Wed Jul 11, 2018 9:35 am You can just do a "re roof" with contractor grade shingles. You do not need to go overboard with spending.
If there are 2 layers, some contractors will put a third. Others may recommend a tear out down to deck and then reroof. You do not need to do anything but a basic reroof at that point. No upgrades. The point is that the home has a "new roof" and that is a selling point. How much you spent on it or how many extras you put into it does not raise the selling price.
j
There is only one layer of shingles.

The issue, that I mentioned up at the beginning is that being a 200 year old house, the roof deck under the shingles is in really bad shape making it hard to nail down new shingles. Its old pine board roof sheathing, with large gaps betwwen the boards, many of which are broken or full of soft spots... Just going over the top of the existing shingles will only exacerbate these problems. Thats why roofers are recommending to me to put down all new plywood.

If I "live with it" for 2 years I an concerned I may end up facing ongoing leaks leading to ceiling damage and mold concerns. Ive been up there to take a look, and there is no visually obvious source of the leak that looks easily patchable. A few years ago we had a leak in another area around a vent, and it took the roofers 3 tries to get it patched and fixed because of the old roof decking under the shingles (the new shingles kept falling off). Maybe if I get lucky and catch the leak in progress during a storm, I can get up in the attic with a flashlight and try to find the source....


And the garage got an all new roof 2 years ago (insurance job - storm damage). So if I re roof with 3 tab builder grade shingles to save money it wont match :(
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by vineviz »

Sandtrap wrote: Wed Jul 11, 2018 9:35 am You can just do a "re roof" with contractor grade shingles. You do not need to go overboard with spending.
If there are 2 layers, some contractors will put a third. Others may recommend a tear out down to deck and then reroof. You do not need to do anything but a basic reroof at that point. No upgrades. The point is that the home has a "new roof" and that is a selling point. How much you spent on it or how many extras you put into it does not raise the selling price.
j
This is just my personal take, but I'd much more quickly buy an otherwise well-maintained house with an old roof than one with a cheap or low-budget new roof.

I've spent enough time in old houses reworking some previous owner's half-baked "repair" to willingly take a chance on a 200 year old house with roof that was obviously done by the low-bid contractor.

Caveat: I am often told that I'm not normal, so YMMV.
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by Sandtrap »

jharkin wrote: Wed Jul 11, 2018 9:46 am
Sandtrap wrote: Wed Jul 11, 2018 9:35 am You can just do a "re roof" with contractor grade shingles. You do not need to go overboard with spending.
If there are 2 layers, some contractors will put a third. Others may recommend a tear out down to deck and then reroof. You do not need to do anything but a basic reroof at that point. No upgrades. The point is that the home has a "new roof" and that is a selling point. How much you spent on it or how many extras you put into it does not raise the selling price.
j
There is only one layer of shingles.

The issue, that I mentioned up at the beginning is that being a 200 year old house, the roof deck under the shingles is in really bad shape making it hard to nail down new shingles. Its old pine board roof sheathing, with large gaps betwwen the boards, many of which are broken or full of soft spots... Just going over the top of the existing shingles will only exacerbate these problems. Thats why roofers are recommending to me to put down all new plywood.

If I "live with it" for 2 years I an concerned I may end up facing ongoing leaks leading to ceiling damage and mold concerns. Ive been up there to take a look, and there is no visually obvious source of the leak that looks easily patchable. A few years ago we had a leak in another area around a vent, and it took the roofers 3 tries to get it patched and fixed because of the old roof decking under the shingles (the new shingles kept falling off). Maybe if I get lucky and catch the leak in progress during a storm, I can get up in the attic with a flashlight and try to find the source....


And the garage got an all new roof 2 years ago (insurance job - storm damage). So if I re roof with 3 tab builder grade shingles to save money it wont match :(
I see now.
My company has encountered that. Few contractors would touch a roof with a compromised deck. I've done some estimates where I did not want to walk on the roof. It was that bad. :shock:
Gonna have to "bite the bullet" I guess.
Good luck on your project.
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jharkin
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by jharkin »

pshonore wrote: Wed Jul 11, 2018 9:39 am In my opinion, the bulk of ice dams are caused by passage of warm air through ceilings into attics with poor insulation and/or poor ventilation. Just replacing the roof may not solve that although the fact that the roof leaked during a thunder storm may indicate something else (assuming no gutter overflow, etc.)
Yes agreed - but also as I mentioned in the first post - its a 200 year old house. We have had extra insulation blown in to the attic, but given the age of the house, completely sealing it up and reducing the heat loss to modern code levels would require a gut renovation of the entire house. My roofers proposed mitigation is to put Grace ice end water shield all the way up to the ridge on the low slope section that is ice prone. This will stop any water that backs up under the shingles from getting in.


Others have asked would a potential buyer add a big addition? Good question. the neighborhood is mixed, there is a modern development with 3000+ sq ft contemporary houses a mile down the street, but immediately around us are a bunch of 1800s, 1850s and 1920s era small houses. We considered doing a big addition at one point rather than move, but the cost did not seem worthwhile.
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by barnaclebob »

jharkin wrote: Wed Jul 11, 2018 8:46 am Follow up:

We where all set to just "live with it" and deal with the replacement in sale negotiations. I even hosed the roof down with never rinse and its starting to look better :)

Then we had a big thunderstorm and it leaked during rain :(

So now its appearing that I will have to bite the bullet and just do it.
I would replace now with the full quality job. We put a new roof on 6 months before we sold our house and it was part of the reason we got so much above the normal price. Our buyer was on a 3% down FHA loan and qualified for a high balance but wouldn't have had the cash for an immediate reroof.

We weren't planning on selling when we got the roof done and it didn't leak yet but was due for replacement with a lot of areas where the grit had come off and a few loose shingles. I would have had trouble sleeping through the following winters' wind/rain storms.
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by pshonore »

jharkin wrote: Wed Jul 11, 2018 9:52 am
pshonore wrote: Wed Jul 11, 2018 9:39 am In my opinion, the bulk of ice dams are caused by passage of warm air through ceilings into attics with poor insulation and/or poor ventilation. Just replacing the roof may not solve that although the fact that the roof leaked during a thunder storm may indicate something else (assuming no gutter overflow, etc.)
Yes agreed - but also as I mentioned in the first post - its a 200 year old house. We have had extra insulation blown in to the attic, but given the age of the house, completely sealing it up and reducing the heat loss to modern code levels would require a gut renovation of the entire house. My roofers proposed mitigation is to put Grace ice end water shield all the way up to the ridge on the low slope section that is ice prone. This will stop any water that backs up under the shingles from getting in.

Blown in insulation can also be a cause of ice dams. I've seen more than a few houses where blown in or even batt insulation is pushed into the eaves blocking soffit vents and reducing cold air flow on the underside of the roof. Relying on Grace to solve that kind of a problem may not work. If you don't have soffit vents, you may want to consider installing them in that section if structure allows it. As a side note, I spoke to a roofer a few weeks ago who told me fiberglass shingles are on the way out - something about drying out and shrinkage. Haven't heard that before.
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by jharkin »

pshonore wrote: Wed Jul 11, 2018 11:36 am Blown in insulation can also be a cause of ice dams. I've seen more than a few houses where blown in or even batt insulation is pushed into the eaves blocking soffit vents and reducing cold air flow on the underside of the roof. Relying on Grace to solve that kind of a problem may not work. If you don't have soffit vents, you may want to consider installing them in that section if structure allows it. As a side note, I spoke to a roofer a few weeks ago who told me fiberglass shingles are on the way out - something about drying out and shrinkage. Haven't heard that before.
This area does have soffit and ridge vents and I thought that before having the blown in work done... I bought a bunch of those foam insulation baffles that go in the rafter bays and gave them to the insulation crew to install before blowing insulation.

In any case, the ice dam issue existed before we insulated and still exists now.... AND the fact the leaks have started to occur during rain as well tells me its not just ice causing the problem.


Anot
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by scoreboard »

Like someone else mentioned from real world experience - your buyer may not be able to insure a 20 year old roof (so they won't be able to get a mortgage and close).

My wife is a realtor and this is a issue in Texas. Maybe not in Boston...
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by jharkin »

Yeah, I know. And I also know that if I do nothing - the fact that I am aware of the issue creates an ethical, and probably legal, responsibility to disclose during the sale... so IT will come up.

So I think I have to deal with it. And to be frank, going into next winter knowing I don't have to get up there and shovel the roof every time it snows will be great piece of mind.
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by mxs »

I had a similar issue about 10 months ago. We were trying to sell and we had an older roof that had occasional small leaks. We decided to bite the bullet and get a new roof so we didn't have to deal with leaks and so that the house was more appealing. It didn't make our house sell incredibly fast, but I am sure it helped. It did sell, and bottom line that is what mattered.

In your situation I would get the roof done and enjoy not having leaks for the last two years or so you live there. Having a two year old roof may be better than a brand new one as it will be tested and proven for two years, where a new one may still leak if something wasn't done right and now you (the new buyer) have to deal with that, with a roofer that may or may not warranty the roof for someone that was not the original purchaser.

If your roof was not currently leaking and didn't have known issues, I would probably hold out until the sale.
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by dcabler »

Same issue I had with a house that I owned in Louisiana. My parents had been living there and when they both passed, it was time to sell. The roof had been damaged in Katrina and I had already received the insurance payment a few years before I sold it, but I never had the repairs done. Overall, there were no leaks, but there was an obviously missing shingle on the backside of the house and if you looked close you could see the damage. When it was time to sell, I just couldn't in good conscience let it go, so I had a new roof put on before putting it up for sale.

Main thing is that there's nothing that says you have to put the same quality roof on the house that you would put on if you planned on living there for a long time. Good enough to get it sold is good enough.
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by mxs »

Regarding quality of roof, I asked the roofer about 3 tab vs architectural, and I was told that the increased labor to make sure the 3 tab were lined up correctly killed the price benefit vs architectural. So it was worth doing the architectural (which seem to be 30 year minimum, vs 15 year for 3 tab). I don't know if this was some salesmanship on their part, but I think it was mostly true. I would go with the 30 year architectural (sometimes more depending on shingle, underlayment, company, installer).
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by drawpoker »

jharkin wrote: Sat Jun 16, 2018 6:55 am ....... Its just an old house (200+ years old).........
.. or just deal with it for 1-2 more winters and negotiate when it eventually comes up in a buyers inspection?
With a house that old, aren't you within a designated historic district? Where you have to go thru hoops with a local historic commission for any exterior changes (like replacing roof)
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jharkin
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by jharkin »

drawpoker wrote: Wed Jul 11, 2018 6:53 pm
jharkin wrote: Sat Jun 16, 2018 6:55 am ....... Its just an old house (200+ years old).........
.. or just deal with it for 1-2 more winters and negotiate when it eventually comes up in a buyers inspection?
With a house that old, aren't you within a designated historic district? Where you have to go thru hoops with a local historic commission for any exterior changes (like replacing roof)
Common misconception.... old house isn't necessarily in a district... And even when you are in a district there is a lot of variation in how strict the rules are. Some go as far as to regulate what color your exterior can be (prime example - the Historical Society of Newport RI)... others only get involved when you want to do major renovations.

We are not in a district, so no restriction.


Decision: I am going forward on the roof - thanks for all advice. I will use the roofer that already did my garage 2 years ago (i have his quote and I trust the quality of his work) and he is going to use GAF lifetime architectural. This is whats on the garage already so it will all match nicely.
(previous job was 30 year architectural in the same color done in the mid-90s)
drawpoker
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by drawpoker »

jharkin wrote: Thu Jul 12, 2018 7:07 am
... And even when you are in a district there is a lot of variation in how strict the rules are. Some go as far as to regulate what color your exterior can be (prime example - the Historical Society of Newport RI)...
Shucks, that's nothing. Around here the commission can dictate just what size and shape the globe of inside your outdoor lamp post must be.
No kidding, I once attended an applicant's hearing, which turned into a shouting match, when the pointy-headed historic "experts" on the panel got into an argument over whether that particular lamp style was "Georgian" enough. Or too "Italian Flemish" suggestive.
There was a guy sitting next to me, had a summer home here, but lived most of the year in his (Historic District) Georgetown D.C. house.
He muttered under his breath "these people are nuts" No argument there! :P :P :P
Good luck on your re-roofing project, think you are making the right decision.
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Elsebet
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by Elsebet »

Back in Ohio I had a 1940's cape cod with an upstairs dormer that had a low pitch shingled roof. The first winter we lived there an ice dam must have formed and water began leaking down from the roof through the building to the first floor ceiling. Had to do a lot of repairs, the roofer removed the shingles and put a flat roof on the dormer which resolved the issue.

When I sold the house one of the inspection issues was that the rest of the roof (shingles) needed to be replaced. I couldn't disagree with that so I paid for a new roof. It was a small house in a LCOL area so it's wasn't that big of a deal. The buyer was a young first-time homeowner so I felt happy to leave him with a fresh roof he won't have to worry about for awhile.
"...the man who adapts himself to his slender means and makes himself wealthy on a little sum, is the truly rich man..." ~Seneca
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tooluser
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Re: Thought on replacing roof before sale?

Post by tooluser »

For the first time ever after many years in the same house, moss is growing on the north sides of my roofs, and I found this thread.

It really has been a wet and cool year in Los Angeles. We even got new snow in the mountains this week, which were already at 125% of normal.
Remarkable.

Hopefully the moss will die off in the blazing heat this summer, but I'm guessing the dead moss will still absorb dew and rain. Gonna have to keep an eye on it.
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