Getting your home ready to put on the market is a lot of work. Unfortunately, this sometimes requires fixing problems that could derail selling your home.
Usually, this revolves around fixing drywall, painting, cleaning up landscaping, or other areas in and around your home. But what about your roof? Should you replace it before selling your home?
For over 30 years, Bill Ragan Roofing has helped homeowners understand if and when they should replace their roof. That’s why I’ll break down if and why you would replace your roof before selling your home.
This article answers the following questions:
- Should you replace your roof before selling your home?
- Why would you replace your roof when selling your home?
- Will you recoup the money you spent replacing your roof before selling your home?
Should you replace your roof before selling your home?
There’s no reason to replace your roof before selling your home under normal circumstances. A roof that’s in good shape doesn’t need to be replaced just for the sake of replacing when putting your home on the market.
(Example of a roof that really needs a replacement before selling)
However, the state of your roof and the potential buyer ultimately determine whether or not you will. Now, this is considering that you’re putting your home on the market now.
But if you have an older roof with problems and plan on staying in your home for a couple more years, it’s a good idea to go ahead and replace it. The last thing you want is to spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars on repairs as you try to get your roof past the finish line.
Why would you replace your roof when selling your home?
As I said, replacing your roof before selling your home is determined by the roof’s condition and potential buyers. It’s hard to say if you should without looking at your roof, but I can give you a couple of scenarios why you would.
Let’s say your roof has reached the end of its lifespan, has missing shingles, is covered in patchwork from repairs, or shows other signs that it’s time for a replacement. You should consider replacing the roof to boost its look, increase value, and avoid issues with buyers before putting their home on the market.
On the other hand, let’s say you put your home on the market with the same roof. The buyers will learn the age of the roof and its condition during the home inspection.
After getting the inspection report, the potential buyers will determine if the roof is a problem or to go through with purchasing your home. If the roof is deemed a problem, there are a couple of common ways to handle it.
They could have an offer contingency stating that replacing the roof is required before closing. Just don’t be surprised if they get the quote themselves to ensure you don’t put a cheap roof on their future home.
But if they want to make it easier on everyone, they could simply ask for the cost of a roof replacement to be taken off the total selling price. While it’s unusual for a home not to sell because of a roof, it can be a point of contention depending on the buyer.
Will you recoup the money you spent replacing your roof before selling your home?
Let’s say you decided to replace your roof before putting your home on the market. The new roof will increase your home’s value, but you will not see a 100% return on investment.
According to the 2023 COST VS VALUE REPORT, the 2023 national average for an asphalt shingle roof is $29,136. Per the same report, the national average cost recouped when replacing an asphalt roof is 61.1%.
This means you can expect to recoup $17,807 of the original $29,136 you spent to replace your asphalt roof when selling your home. However, each roofing material has its own percentage of cost recouped when selling a home.
For example, the 2023 national average cost for a standing seam metal roof is $47,414. Even though it costs more and is more durable than asphalt shingles, the national average recouped is 48.9%. Unfortunately, you’ll never fully recoup the money spent on a new roof.
But even if you don’t see a full return on the original investment, a new roof makes it more likely to get full asking price, shorten the time on the market, and smoother negotiations.
Is your roof showing signs that it needs to be replaced?
Now you know if you should replace your roof before selling your home. Unless you have a massive budget, there’s no reason to replace your roof just for the sake of replacing it before selling your home.
On the other hand, an older roof may need to be replaced before putting your home on the market. While this isn’t ideal, you’re less likely to run into problems or have issues with potential buyers.
As I said, I can’t say if your roof needs to be replaced without physically laying eyes on it. However, a roof shows visible signs that tell you it’s time for a replacement.
Check out the 6 Signs Your Roof Needs to be Replaced to get a better idea of if you should replace your roof before selling your home.
