As a South Eastern Michigan Realtor one of my jobs when working with buyers is to try to protect and help them.  Now I do not know every problem in every house but what is an obvious problem and I notice I try to share my observation. What I mean by that is if I see a defect in a house that is a major cost I point it out and then let the buyer make the decision whether they want to buy it or not.

So let's talk about today's topic bad roofs or soon to be bad roofs that need replacing. Usually you can tell a bad roof right away by the shingles curly or the shingles being faulty.  What do I mean by curling.  When the corners of a shingle start curling up and separating from the roof it means you are due to need a new roof.  Why you ask?  Simple because if the shingle is not tight against the underlying shingle moisture (rain and snow can seep into the attic)

Other signs of a potentially bad roof is:

• missing shingles
• buckling shingles
• broken shingle
• waves or rolling of the roof.....what this means usually is that the wood underneath the shingles are weakened or rotted.  When the roof is rotted it means extra expense when replacing the roof.

If you look at the picture above, look to the right of the basketball hoop.  You can see shingles starting to curl and separate.  It is just one of the areas in the picture that is starting to curl.

This is what could happen if the roof is bad.  It could seep in causing the interior drywall to soften and fall down.

Now two disclaimers I have is just because there is moss on the roof does not mean the roof is bad.  Nor does the waving or rolling roof mean you have to repair the roof right away.  The key is to go into your attic after a rain and see if you have wet spots.  You don't want to replace a roof if it is not needed.  Sometimes you can wait to replace the wood underneath when the roof shingles finally go bad.  When in doubt call a roofer to get an opinion.   It's not a smart idea to go jump up and down in an area that seems to be bad.  You could fall through and hurt yourself badly. 

Roofs are not cheap to replace. Even a small house under a 1000 square foot can cost $6,000 or more.  Big homes can run $25,000 to $40,000 depending on who you hire.  This is a major expense.  That is why I rate it as the number #2 item to look for when buying a home.  The only thing more expensive to repair is foundation issues.

The key to being a helpful Realtor is to provide information to the buyer to help them make smart home buying decisions. A bad roof or soon to be bad roof and the costs involved may not be obvious to the buyer. The costs may be something a home buyer cannot afford.  Many times a home inspector or a roofer can tell you how long you can roughly expect the roof to last.  I believe when they say you have 3 to 5 years of roof life then it is fine to put in a house.  It's when they say a year or two that you as a buyer have to realize that you are going to have to put up a chunk of change to fix the roof.  If you don't have the money to do a new roof, or don't think you can save that amount in the period of time then buying that home is not a smart decision.  Doing a roof as a do it yourselfer is a hot, hard job.  Especially if it is a steep roof. 

Sure I don't want to kill the deal, but I want the buyer to be aware of the issue.  I never want to kill a home sale over something small but this is Just my job to help you out and be aware of the potential costs and problems of a home.. Feel free to call or text me with questions 248-310-6239

Russ Ravary the helpful Realtor

Here are some links to other articles on home buyers and local subdivisions.  Michigan Condo home buyer tips and Subdivisions in Northville and Northville Township