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Who Cares about the top? You cannot see it!

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Dagny's Real Estate

Who Cares about the top (roof)?  You cannot see it!


We can see the icing on a cake,  we can see the grass on a lawn, we can see the flowers atop a plant, but usually, we cannot see the top of a house!   Is your roof as important as the rest of the house for appearances sake?  Would your serious buyer care?

A Basket of Gold in the garden

 

 

I believe that the roof is almost more important than the front door, since any buyer worth his salt will just see lots of dollar signs when he looks at a bad roof.   Just as noticeable, is a great roof!   A roof in good condition will last as many as 25-30 years - and will not cost the buyer a great deal of money for a very long time!   A bad furnace doesn't cost 1/2 of what a bad roof costs, and folks walk away from house with a bad furnace!  

Dollars on wings

 

 

Many buyers do not look up - just at the rest of the house - general condition inside and out.   If the condition is decent, they will rely upon a good building inspector to weed out a bad roof.   Why not look up and weed it out early?    Why get that far in the negotiations and money stage to then have to renegotiate?     And perhaps have to quit and start over again looking for a new house.  

 

bad roof

Sellers, make sure that if your roof is not new, it looks new!  A basic power washing of your roof will make it look like a million bucks, and probably get that for you, too.    If it's fairly old, replace it!  it will not cost you as much to replace it as it will in downward price negotiations and time on the market.   Buyers end up guessing at how much it will cost, and always guess higher, not lower.  

 

good wood roof

 

 

 

Buyers, make sure that you get a good roof, or ask for reductions in price to compensate....

 

 

 

 

 

Who Cares about the top (roof)?  You cannot see it!

John Thomas
E3 Green HOMES - Boulder, CO
EcoBroker, MSEE, MBA

Dangy...very good points. A good roof should always be one of the critical items on the buyer's 'must have' list.

Jun 01, 2010 12:54 PM
Mary Lou Teague
HOME STYLE AND STAGING LLC - Knoxville, TN
Home Style and Staging Knoxville. TN

Great post and oh so true, thanks for shaing this with us..I have bookmarked for future use and referral...

Jun 01, 2010 02:09 PM
Dagny Eason
Dagny's Real Estate - Wilton, CT
Fairfield County CT, CDPE Homes For Sale and Condo

John - I find this is a point ignored most often by buyers and sellers alike

Mary lou - Thanks for commenting!!

Jun 01, 2010 03:37 PM
Carra Riley & Declan Kenyon
Brokers Guild Cherry Creek Ltd - Westminster, CO
Helping people Transition at all ages!

Dagny....I think you have said this perfectly.  The roof is extremely important - good or bad.

cosmic cow

Jun 02, 2010 05:03 AM
Dagny Eason
Dagny's Real Estate - Wilton, CT
Fairfield County CT, CDPE Homes For Sale and Condo

Thanks, Carra.   It's a good thing to watch for, as it's a BIG ticket to fix!

Jun 02, 2010 06:45 AM
TERRY DRISCOLL
MAINE HOME REALTY - Bath, ME
REALTOR - Buy or Sell in Any Season!

Just ran into this very thing with a buyer - - the roof looked just fine from the ground - even to a roofing contractor the listing agent had stop by to check it.  When the buyer's home inspector got up on a ladder and took some photos, you would not have believed how bad that roof was - - cracks in both directions.  Buyer was fearless, re-negotiated the price, and now owns the house.  This was a buyer who had seriously considered NOT getting a home inspection - at final walk through, he was telling me that was the best money he ever spent (a few hundred dollars saved him several thousand)!  You have to care about the thing that keeps the rain out of your house : )  Thanks for the post!

Jun 06, 2010 10:38 AM
Leanna Putman
Shanna Selections, LLC - Enfield, CT

Great points you make, Dagny!  Thanks for posting this.

Jun 07, 2010 05:00 AM
Dagny Eason
Dagny's Real Estate - Wilton, CT
Fairfield County CT, CDPE Homes For Sale and Condo

Thank you, Leanna.   It is so important, and few sellers realize that this is what could ruin a sale halfway though.....

Jun 07, 2010 05:05 AM