We all want to buy our dream home. After all, it’s one of the biggest emotional and financial investments we’ll ever make, so we should hope to buy the perfect house. Unfortunately, many Aussie home buyers move into their “dream home” only to find that it is more of a dud dwelling. There can be many reasons for this: drainage problems, infestation, structural damage, and one form of structural damage includes roof damage.
Roof damage can really take new homeowners by surprise (and hit them with a big repairs bill). Unfortunately, you cannot charge the old homeowners for roof repairs after you’ve already bought the house, and this is one of the key reasons why it is imperative to have the roof inspected before you buy.
Comprehensive roof inspections can locate signs of ageing, cracked caulk, damaged shingles, leaks, moisture, mould that would otherwise go unnoticed in a regular pre-purchase inspection.
And, given that any one of these problems can deteriorate quickly, it’s best to have your prospective roof inspected for the following reasons:
1. Identifying potential problems
As aforementioned, roofs – especially older ones – can contain numerous problems that need rectifying before they can deteriorate further. From broken tiles to leakage issues, missing shingles to water damage, your prospective roof could be experiencing any number of problems before you buy the house itself.
Therefore, the most important thing to do is identify any current or prospective problems before you buy. If your professional roof inspector notices any problems you will be well within your rights to request a better price or that the current owner fix the roofing problem.
Unfortunately, you won ‘t have this luxury after-purchase, and so we recommend getting it done before a problem starts to deteriorate!
2. Avoid future repairs
Any roof problem becomes more expensive the more it deteriorates. Therefore, if your prospective roof already has a problem, it is more than likely going to exacerbate the next time a heavy storm rolls through town. Unfortunately, the onus will be well-and-truly on you to foot the bill.
Thankfully, pre-purchase roof inspections exist to ensure you can negotiate a better purchase price or have the current owner fix the problem before it can deteriorate. You will be able to catch any deteriorating issues in their tracks whilst ensuring you’re not the one that will have to pay for it in a year’s time.
3. Provide you with peace of mind
Purchasing a house does come with its doubts. And purchasing an old house can come with serious doubts. The last thing you want is to move into your supposed dream home with the worry that it contains a potentially-serious roofing problem.
Instead, you want to move into the home with the peace of mind that your purchase is structurally-sound and ready for habitation. A pre-purchase roof inspection will either provide you with the peace of mind that the roof is sound or that it requires urgent repair (on the current owner’s behalf!).
4. Ensures your safety
It’s a sad fact of the real estate industry that many homeowners and their agents will try and sell a home with a dodgy roof. Unfortunately, they only care about getting a good, quick sell out of the way, and they’re not really thinking about your safety should the problem deteriorate.
Thankfully, pre-purchase roof inspections can hold both vendors and their real estate agents accountable for trying to sell a potentially-dangerous property.
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