Your Roof Inspection Checklist for First Time Home Buyers
Taking proper care of your roof is essential for maintaining your home. When buying a new house, it’s important to know what kind of shape the roof is in. This must-know roof inspection checklist can help.
If you’re looking for more tips when buying a fixer-upper, check out this comprehensive list on Redfin of advice from industry professionals.
Are you buying a home for the first time? Then you’ll need to keep an eye out for so many things when you’re looking at a new home.
How can you know everything about a roof, for example, just by looking at it? It’s actually amazing how much you’ll learn, just by looking for certain things on the roof.
This roof inspection checklist explains what you need to be looking for, and why.
The Importance of a Roof Inspection Checklist
Why is it that you need to check out the roof before you buy a home?
The roof is one of the most expensive replacement jobs on a home, so you don’t want to be buying a home and then spending a lot more on switching out the roof.
A damaged roof causes other problems throughout the home too, so you want to avoid them if at all possible.
If you’re buying a house that has a damaged or outdated roof, you’ll have to add the cost of a potential new roof to your expenses.
This roof inspection checklist will teach you how to tell the quality and lifespan of a roof before buying a house.
1. Look For Water Damage
Before you even put in an offer on a home, you want to be looking for water damage. This is the biggest sign that something is wrong with the roof.
When you’re attending an open house or are otherwise viewing the home, you want to be looking out for the following:
– Water Stains on the Ceiling:
This is a giveaway that there have been leaks in the attic, a result of water getting in through the roof.
If there’s water stains, it’s a sign that the attic wood may have suffered damage from water. Rot and mold are huge problems when moisture gets in, so be wary.
– Freshly Painted Ceilings:
This could be totally innocent, or it could be a sign that the owner has painted over water stains. If you see this in conjunction with some other signs on this list, you should be suspicious.
– Missing Shingles or RoofTiles:
If these tiles have been missing for a while, then that’s a problem as it’s a huge gap that is letting water into the roof.
– Curled Shingles:
This is another sign that there could be water damage to the roof.
The shingles will be nearing the end of their lives, so if you buy the home, you’ll need to soon replace them.
– Water Stains in the Attic:
If there’s water stains in the attic, or you’re seeing signs of water damage, that will show you that there’s an issue with water getting into the house.
– Water Stains on the Fascia:
Take a look at the fascia on the home, especially under the eaves. Water staining will show you that there are water leaking issues here.
2. Insist On Good Ventilation
Even if you see none of these issues on the roof when you inspect the home, you’ll need to be sure that there’s good ventilation in the home in general.
If air and sunlight can’t get in, it’s going to allow moisture to build up and cause you more problems in the long run.
If there isn’t good ventilation, you’ll need to think carefully about buying the home.
3. Mold On The Roof
The last step on the roof inspection checklist is checking for mold.
While sometimes things like moss can grow on a roof and cause minimal problems, you still need to be looking out for issues like mold.
This can be white, green, or black in color, and they may not be as obvious as you’d think. If you’re seeing it on the rooftop, then it’s a sign that water is getting in at that point.
The mold can also be found in walls, under floors or the roof itself. Take care to look for this, as it’s a sign that something is wrong.
Some homeowners see the mold, tackle and clear that, but then don’t do anything about what’s causing the mold in the first place.
Be aware that this could be the case when you’re inspecting a potential home.
Should You Inspect Your Roof Once You Own Your Home?
You’ve found a home that had a good quality roof, and you’ve now moved in and are making the home your own.
That doesn’t mean you can forget about your roof inspection checklist! Now the home is yours, you’ll be responsible for taking care of the roof.
It’s not too difficult if you know what you’re looking for. Here’s how you take good care of your roof and minimize any issues you’ll have with it.
– Check for Missing sShingles:
Just as you did when you were looking at the house, you’ll want to see if there any shingles missing from time to time.
You can get on a ladder and take a good look at the roof to ensure that it’s in good condition. If you see that there are any shingles missing, replace them as soon as you possibly can.
This will stop them allowing water into the roof, and causing more problems later down the line.
– Clear Out the Gutters:
Your gutters are a prime spot for issues, if you don’t take care of them. When inspecting your roof, look to see if there’s any debris in them.
This will block them up, not letting water flow through them and so making it overflow onto the roof.
In the winter, they can also lead to ice dams if you’re not careful. To stop this happening, all you have to do is clear the debris out and consider installing a gutter guard to stop it happening again.
– Look Inside the Attic:
Your attic will have signs if something isn’t right with your roof.
For example, if you’re seeing light shining in through the roof, then there’s a gap that needs to be fixed. You’ll also see the start of mold or rot if water has got into the roof.
Make sure you’re watching your ceilings, too. If you’re seeing stains start to form, that’s a sign that you need to act quickly.
Conclusion
With this roof inspection checklist, you’ll be able to ensure you’re buying a home with a good quality roof.
Check for water damage, ensure there’s good ventilation, and don’t touch the home if you see mold.
Take care of the roof once the home is yours, and you won’t see any major problems.
