Selling Your Home: Roof Inspections
Inspections vs. Disclosures
Generally speaking, home inspections are not legally required when buying or selling property in Arizona, but they are strongly encouraged, especially roofing inspections. Buying a home is a significant investment, and you want to make sure you fully understand the condition of the property you are buying. A professional home inspection and a professional roofing inspection can bring you peace of mind, and should there be any problems, you can work these things out with the seller before you move in.
While inspections are not legally required, all sellers must disclose all known material (important) facts about a property to the buyer under Arizona law. Failure to do so can leave the seller open to civil liability.
The SPDS & Roofing Disclosures
Meeting this disclosure requirement is most easily done by filling out and providing the buyer with a Seller's Property Disclosure Statement (SPDS). The SPDS is a form designed to help the seller give the legally required disclosures to the buyer and can be used much like a worksheet. As a buyer, you should ensure that you have received a completed SPDS from the seller.
Note: if you are using the AAR Residential Resale Real Estate Purchase Contract, the seller must provide the AAR Residential SPDS form to the buyer within three days of the contract acceptance.
So, what does the SPDS have to do with your roofing? As the home's first line of defense, the roof is a crucial part of the house, and consequently, roofing-specific disclosures appear on the SDPS.
Roofing disclosures include:
- Is the seller aware of any roof leaks, past or present?
- Is there a roof warranty, and if so, is the warranty transferable?
- Have there been any other roofing problems, past or present?
- Have any repairs been performed on the roof, past or present?
Furthermore, the SPDS directs the home buyer to contact a professional to verify the roof's condition.
Roofing Contractor vs. Home Inspector
In Arizona, you will have a 10-day inspection period once a property goes under contract. During this period, you can have anything about the home inspected. Most people will elect to have a professional home inspector go over the entire property. While home inspectors must be trained and certified, they are not roofing contractors. Therefore, you should schedule an official roofing inspection when buying a home.
It is always better to have an industry expert, like Lyons Roofing, perform a roof inspection on your new property. The home inspector will do their best and may catch roofing problems, but they are responsible for inspecting the entire house. We live and breathe roofing – we will ensure that the whole roofing system is thoroughly inspected and any issues are noted in our inspection report.
What to Look for When Shopping for a New Home
While we've discussed what to do after you've gone under contract to purchase a new home, is there anything you can do if you are still looking for the perfect house? Yes! If you are still shopping around, there are a few things to have on your radar.
Pay attention to:
- Fresh paint or patchwork on ceilings
- Water stains on walls, ceilings, or in attics and crawl spaces
- Curling, cracked, or buckling shingles or tiles
- Missing or broken shingles or tiles
- Damaged or rusted flashing
- Damaged or warped fascia boards
- Signs of wildlife roosting or nesting on the roof
The last thing you want to do is get involved with a property with serious roofing problems. Roof repairs can cost hundreds of dollars, and roof replacements are in the thousands. Even if a seller is willing to make repairs before ownership transfers to you, roof repairs or replacements can delay your move-in or, in extreme cases, be a persistent problem that you have to deal with long after the seller is gone.
If you are purchasing a new home or other property, reach out to Lyons Roofing for a professional roofing inspection.
