If your roof is old and near the end of its useful life, the best practice is to simply replace it. However, if you don’t have the funds to replace it for whatever reason, what do you do? I can recommend a few strategies for this situation:
- The best-case scenario is that you’re in a competitive market with multiple interested buyers and you could feasibly sell your house without having to deal with the roof at all.
- You could split the cost of the roof with the buyer. Being able to negotiate that deal would be a wonderful outcome.
- Instead of replacing the roof, you could provide a credit to the buyer at closing. However, if you let a buyer price out your roof, the price will naturally be higher than what you could have gotten otherwise. From a negotiating standpoint, it’s a good idea to get an estimate for the roof and have that information in your back pocket when discussing this with your buyer.
- If you live in an area where your home has sustained significant weather-related damage, you could reach out to your homeowners insurance company to see if they’ll cover the costs to replace the roof. You never know—if you don’t ask, you don’t receive.
A good thing to keep in mind is that the quality of your agent will ultimately determine the success of your transaction. When you’re interviewing agents to determine who will assist with your home sale, be sure to ask what they recommend you do if your roof is older.
Here at Real Estate Experts, we work with our sellers to develop strategies to help them reach their goals. If you’d like us to help you with your next home sale, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We would love to give you our professional advice.