Inspecting a home before buying it can help to reveal a lot about the property’s condition. For instance, it may alert you to the presence of mold or foundation issues that you overlooked during an initial walkthrough. Conducting a thorough roof inspection may also allow you to spot issues that might not be caught with a visual check alone.
Everything Might Look Fine from a Distance
You probably wouldn’t notice shingles with missing granules when looking at it from the driveway. In addition, you might not notice granules in the gutter or downspout without looking closely. However, those can be signs of old age, moisture damage or issues that can cause the roof to fail within months of buying the property.
Dents or warping in the shape of the roof are clues to underlying structural damage. This is something you definitely want to know about before purchasing a home. Structural damage to your roof can make it difficult to get an insurance policy for your new home.
Unless you alert the seller to any problems before the sale closes, you will be responsible for fixing them. Depending on the transaction timeline, you can fix issues through a repair escrow account. Such an account is designed to allow the house to sell while fixing an issue that might otherwise prevent a buyer from getting a loan.
Resolve Problems Before They Get Worse
Existing damage to the roof may be minor and localized. In such a scenario, you may be able to repair the roof instead of replacing it entirely. A roof inspection that provides a list of the items that need fixing can help you get estimates for the repairs. You may be able to use these estimates to get a discount on the home and keep the original timeline of the sale.
An Inspection May Reveal Secondary Issues
A roof inspection may allow you to discover secondary problems that might not have been revealed otherwise. For instance, an inspection typically includes a look at the attic, which can reveal whether there is any moisture, mold, or other damage in that part of the house. It may also reveal ventilation issues.
While you may notice mold, smell mildew, or see staining on interior walls, you may assume or be told that the issue is coming from inside the house. For example, the previous owner may have stated that a possible water leak is coming from an interior pipe or a similar source. However, a roof inspection may reveal that the kitchen or living room ceiling is moldy because of a roof leak.
Prevent Other Issues from Occurring
Having your Boston home’s roof inspected may catch an issue before it becomes destructive. For example, if a leak is detected, it can be fixed before the water gets down to the foundation where it can cause cracks or other defects. Preventing moisture or pests from getting inside of your home can also protect insulation, wires and other items inside of the property from being eaten or destroyed.
Fixing cracks or gaps in your roof might also prevent or minimize the damage done by carpenter ants or other pests that might want to get inside your house. Roof inspections may help you to discover missing soffits in the eaves or gaps behind the gutters that provide cavities for bird nests. Birds can try to expand holes in the walls, tear insulation into pieces for nest material and leave lots of droppings in the home structure.
Maintain the Roof’s Warranty
Inspections can also provide opportunities to repair a roof that’s still under warranty. Some of these contracts will stay with a home when it’s sold but most will require the original purchaser to own the home and make the claim. This makes it worthwhile for both buyer and seller to fix anything that is covered before the sale.
If you are in the market for a new home, don’t hesitate to reach out to Aspen Roofing Services for a residential or commercial roof inspection today! In addition to roof inspection services, we can also help with gutter cleaning or installation. We’ll also provide winter services to ensure that your roof and the rest of your home are capable of surviving Boston’s notoriously harsh cold season.
