purchasing a new home

Home-Buyers – Roofing Warning Signs not to Ignore

As many of you know, buying a house is a complicated business. Let’s say you’re ready to settle down, you’ve found a house that you love and you don’t want to lose the property. At these kind of times people often listen to their hearts over their heads and rush into things.

This is fine when the property only needs a lick of paint or the installation of some double glazing on the windows. However when it comes to the roof, making rash decisions as a new home-buyer can cost you a mountain of time, effort and money to correct in the future.

So here at SS Roofing we thought we would let you in on some tell-tale warning signs of what to look out for as a new home-buyer.

AGE:

The first thing you should ask the seller is how old the roof is. Although a well installed and maintained roof can last over 30 years, if the property has low-quality roof shingles that are poorly fixed, the roof will need repairing and replacing far more frequently.

DRAINAGE & VENTILATION:

When reviewing a property inspect the gutters to make sure that the drainage systems are functioning well. If there is a large build up of leaves and other debris then you know that the drainage systems are either old or of poor quality, and will therefore need replacing soon.

A big tell-tale sign of this is dry rot. Rot can be a result of drainage system and ventilation problems. A build up can cause sagging and crumbling in your roof which can lead to major and lasting damage, which may require you to completely renovate your roof in the near future.

TILES & SHINGLES:

Cracked and missing shingles are a common and sometimes unavoidable roofing problem. However these damaged shingles will need replacing, so it is important to see how many are impaired on your future property.

INSPECTION:

Some sellers will claim that they have had the roof inspected prior to putting the property on the market. If they say this, request to see the inspection so you can be sure that the roof is in good condition. If the seller hasn’t had the roof inspected for a while, it is really worth your time and money to hire a professional and trained roofer

to do an inspection before you make an offer. Repairing and replacing roof’s can be highly costly, so before buying a property – make sure that the roof is in good condition.

Here at SS Roofing we hire trained, experienced and expert roofers. We pride ourselves on providing a high quality roofing service to Exeter and the surrounding South West area.

If you’re a new home-buyer or owner and require a roof inspection, or if you have any queries at all, please do not hesitate to contact us.