Wondering what roofing issues you should look for when buying a home? Buying a home is a large investment. For many, it’s the largest investment they have! That’s why it’s critical to make good use of your diligence period and come in prepared. This article will walk you through some of the most important things to consider when it comes to buying a home and making sure you don’t get stuck with unforeseen roofing issues down the road. These roofing issues apply to residential mostly, but you will also see the same recommendations from many commercial roofing companies.

There are a multitude of issues that you might find with a roof, but we’ll focus on the issues that cover 95%+ of the homes we inspect. Those major issues are: poor ventilation, maintenance neglect, aged shingles, and roof penetration failure.

Poor Ventilation

The ventilation in the roofing system is a critical component of it and helps determine the longevity of it. There are a few major types of roof ventilation, but the most important thing is that you buy a roof that has sufficient ventilation. If it does not, you’ll want to budget for that in your closing.

Here is a nifty tool, Roof Ventilation Calculator, from Owen’s Corning that will help you figure out just how much ventilation your prospective home should have.

Maintenance Neglect

Many homeowners don’t realize it when they are in their home, but the roof is just like your lawn. It needs a little TLC! As one of the top Atlanta roofing companies, we always recommend at least a semi-annual cleaning of the roof in order to maintain the longevity of it. As a homebuyer, you should ask the seller to provide you with proof of maintenance, or hire a certified roofing contractor to look over the roof prior to buying the home.

You can also do the roof maintenance yourself! Here’s a good checklist that helps you understand what all you need to complete when going through your roof maintenance.

General Age

Shingles don’t last forever. Replacing the roof on a home is something that needs to be done once every 15-30 years depending on the longevity of the shingles. If you’re buying a home, you really need to get a professional roofing contractor to assess the expected remaining life of the shingles. We have seen crazy things happen, where “fix and flippers” even painted the roof on one house to stop the buyer from seeing the age from ground level.

Roof Penetration Failure

A roof penetration refers to anywhere in the roof that has a hole for a mechanical or electrical conduit to penetrate the roof system. These are obviously much higher risk areas than the main body of the roof. It is critical that someone gets on the roof and closely examines the roof penetrations before you purchase a home. This is one of the most common things that you cannot spot from ground level.

Conclusion

While it’s easy to get focused on the exterior aesthetics of a home, you seriously need to look into the waterproofing aspects of the home. The roof is just as important as your bathroom, bedroom, or any other aspect of your home. Don’t neglect this when you are going through diligence on your home. It’s as easy as just calling us to help you have peace of mind!

Colony Roofers
www.colonyroofers.com
715 Peachtree St NE Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30308
678-365-3138