Fix Your Roof Before Selling
Your Home
When it comes time to sell your
home, for whatever reason, there are
a number of decisions that must take
place before putting it on the
market. One common project is to
update and renovate certain parts of
the home to make it more attractive
to a potential buyer. One area that
may get overlooked at times is the
roof of your home. Since re-roofing
is not cheap, this article will
outline some of your options and the
best way to assess the state of your
current roof.
There are many questions to ask
yourself if you are facing the
decision to re-roof. So, go ahead,
ask yourself the questions and then
research the answers. Am I going to
go with the cheapest or look for the
best? Can I get it repaired or do I
need a complete re-roof? Need some
help?
First, assess the roof. If you
have a shake roof, look and see if
there are signs of aging. Are you
finding blown-off shakes all over
your yard? Are the shakes lifting or
curling? Do you find mysterious
water spots on your ceilings? Don't
forget to check the attic for leaks
too. If you have a composition
shingle roof, does the roof look
like it is crumbling or granuelly?
Can you still see the outline of
your shingles? With a tile roof, the
problems are not always so evident.
Here you look for water stains
inside the house or attic then look
for broken tiles. By the way, this
can be tricky for the inexperienced
leak investigator, since you can do
more damage walking on this type of
roof trying to locate your broken
tiles. Yes, there is a method to
traversing a tile roof, and usually
a roofing contractor is the one you
want up there walking around.
Once the decision to re-roof has
been made it is essential that you
do some research before jumping at
the first offer. Consider what kind
of options you have: What new
products are on the market? What
kind of roof compliments the style
of my home best? A good way to get a
feel of the newer products out there
is to visit a tradeshow or talk to
an expert at the local hardware
supplies store.
Next, call a
licensed roofing contractor out
to look over the roof and see if you
really need a new one or can the
existing roof be repaired. If he
says you need a new roof, be sure to
check his qualifications. You should
request the following: Business
name, address, and phone number.
Experience, training and age of the
company (How long have they been in
business). Business license and
contractor's license are required.
He should have the appropriate
insurances; worker's compensation
and general liability. Ask for
references; this is a great way to
see the contractor's work and ask
others if they are satisfied with
the end product and way in which the
work was conducted. Discuss
warranties, building permits, and
length of time to do your work.
Then, when choosing your new roof
be sure to take into consideration
the local regulations on what kind
of materials you can choose from.
Many areas of California no longer
allow wood shingle or shakes due to
fire hazards. Also, many homeowners'
associations only allow certain
types of roofing to be installed. I
know of a situation where a
homeowner purchased his shingles,
and when they were delivered, the
local CC&R people showed up and put
a stop to his having the roof
installed because it was not up to
the code their development required.
It was unfortunate as he had already
purchased the material and now had
to go through the process of sending
it back and getting something else
that would be allowed.
Hopefully, the steps listed above
will help you in determining whether
or not you need a new roof, and then
help you with the process of getting
that new roof installed. Since no
new roof is inexpensive, I think you
will find it is indeed both a wise
investment and a necessary evil.
These tips should help prepare you
for the task of determining the need
for a new roof, finding the right
contractor, and ending up with a
finished product you will both love
and value.
About the Author
Danielle Stone is
the Northern California Luxury Real
Estate marketing director whose
informative website covers
El Dorado County real estate
where you can find local area
information on
El Dorado Hills homes, Folsom,
Cameron Park, gated equestrian
communities, and more.
If you are looking for a California
Roofing Contractor, please
call us today for our 17 Point Roof
Inspection at 800-639-7663 or
click on the link below:
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