Takeaways
- Homeowners should order an insurance adjuster inspection as soon as they suspect roof damage.
- Home buyers should consider negotiating that the seller provide you an insurance adjuster report.
Roofs are one of the areas of greatest concern to buyers. Water is the enemy of homes. Moisture leads to mold, rot, and all sorts of other nefarious problems.
Roofs are a particular concern in Killeen and Harker Heights after the March, 2014 hailstorms. Immediately after those storms, the roofers in town were booked for a year out. My own fourplex had to have it’s roof replaced on the west side of town.
For many of these homeowners, most of the costs were covered by the homeowners’ insurance. Many sellers, however, have neglected to request their insurance adjuster review their roof’s condition since that storm.
For Sellers
If you are about to sell your home, but haven’t had your roof looked at (especially since the storm), you should call your property insurance company and order an insurance adjuster. The insurance company will send out an adjuster for free to review the condition of your roof.
Why go looking for trouble? Local buyer’s agents are already very aware of the condition of the roofs, and buyers and their inspectors will find out if your roof is serviceable or not. It’s best to get ahead of the game. Not only that, but if there is claimable damage, you only have so long to claim it.
After ordering an adjuster, you’ll get one of two results:
A) The insurance adjuster determines your roof DOES need to be replaced. Very likely your insurance company will pay out to help fix it, perhaps most, all, or even MORE than the cost to replace the roof.
B) The insurance adjuster determines your roof does NOT need to be replaced, and you now have that documentation to show the buyer that your roof is not a concern.
For Buyers
Inspectors can usually give you a heads up whether the roof is in acceptable condition or not. But why not request that the seller go ahead and send out their insurance adjuster if they haven’t recently? Maybe the insurance adjuster will find something claimable that your inspector wouldn’t. You can do this simultaneous with requesting a CLUE report on the home from the seller. This has two benefits:
A) Even if the roof is acceptable to your inspector, it is possible that an insurance adjuster may find otherwise. If there is any chance that the seller’s current insurance can contribute to repairing the roof, it helps you.
B) You, as the new-owner-to-be, will have documented proof that the roof you bought was in good condition. If you have to make a roof claim down the road, you will be able to show it happened after you bought the home, and ensure your insurance company covers it.
View Recommended Fort Hood RoofersAre you a Fort Hood home owner preparing your home for the market? I recommend talking to a Realtor who can advise what items are worth spending money on and which items you can save your money.
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