Zillow is a great tool for searching for a new Home for your family. Relocating? Researching? Sure we have all done this. The greatest thing we look for is PRICING. What can we really afford? Homeowners this is a great way to ESTIMATE roof cost.

So how can Zillow help with Roofing? Well, if you take the Zestimate (yes it is an estimate you need a Licensed Appraiser to give you an Appraisal for a home) you can multiply it by 6% and that will give you a ballpark estimate of what your Roof should cost.

Now, not every Roof is going to be 6% of appraised value. There are MANY factors that go into a Roof’s final price. These factors include: Roof Tear off & Disposal, Fixing Rotted or Damaged Roof Deck, Types of underlayment used, Roof pitch (if its not walkable then the price goes way up), how much material waste (Hip Roofs & multiple valleys create ALOT of waste), Type of material that you choose to use (Shingle, Metal, ect).

NEW HOMEOWNERS BEWARE!

So you are in the Market for a new home because you had to move to take a new job. You are starting a family. Life changes and you decide to buy a home. PITFALLS are right in front of you. What kind? Let’s dive into it.

1. Sellers are not trying to incur added expenses when listing a home to maximize how much they are able to get back from the sale of the home.
2. Sellers will find quick fixes to resolve issues that come up during a Home Inspection.
3. Large ticket items such as Roofs, HVAC, Hot Water Heaters, Appliances ect will be used to leverage the sale price.
4. Leveraging means that the Seller will likely find the “cheapest” way to get out of the punch list issues and doing so cut corners or hire the cheapest contractors to fix it.
5. PROBLEM – If you don’t have the Sellers receipts for the repairs you may not be able to get Insurance Coverage after the purchase.

Homeowners Insurance – POST SALE

Yes, I have had clients call us to verify the Age of a Roof after they purchased a Home. The reason. Insurance Underwriting wanted verification of the age of the Roof in order to accept liability. Client called and we certified a roof being less than 5 years old and the Underwriting Insurance company still dropped the homeowner (could not believe it). Even with our professional credentials the Insurance decided to depart from the contract. This sent the homeowner into a tailspin trying to obtain affordable homeowners insurance coverage and not taking the default coverage provided by the Mortgaged Underwriter.

Insurance Companies are starting to stick to a 10 year or newer Roof on a home before they will underwrite the policy. Is this the norm? No, each Carrier is different and they have their own policy rules (always consult a Licensed Insurance Agent / Broker) however We are hearing it daily from different sources (Homeowners, Realtors, Insurance Agents/Brokers)

Great Words of Wisdom – Homeowners Logbooks

As a Pilot we keep meticulous records of everything. Every Flight hour logged, everything we did on that flight. Even the maintenance logbooks have to be signed off on by a licensed A&P mechanic. We use Checklist for everything and keep detailed records!

WHY is the largest investment of our lives any different? Yet it is. If you purchased a Home before ask yourself this. Did it come with the Owners Manuel? Did it come with a log book of what Paint was used in the living room, what paint in the bathroom, the last time the hot water heater was replaced, the HVAC Services records and YES YOUR ROOF REPLACEMENT. When was it done?

Why is the Date of Installation of your Roof so important? Because that is the time that starts the Depreciation for Insurance and it is the time that Proration for Warranties start (if your contractor filed a warranty with the manufacture).

Be In Control!

If you are purchasing a Residential home. Negotiate a fair deal and buy it. THEN put the Roof on and get it documented so that the Insurance knows it is new. GET A WARRANTY. I can’t emphasize this enough. Roof Contractors go out of business all the time or they get your $$$ and run!

Getting a Manufactures Warranty with Misapplication Coverage is critical. Why??? Because 8 out of 10 Roofs are NOT installed correctly and will leak at some point from install up to 10 years. You might have a manufactures defect 1 out of 1000 but, you can take money to Vegas and go all in that a Roof is not installed correctly unless you have a Trained Crew of Installers putting it on.

Buying a home and taking the previous homeowners word for the repairs will leave you with a Costly Repair or worse, replacement. Again, the sellers want to save as much $ as possible so they will be glad to go cheap or cut corners to get to closing.