A few years ago, a homeowner contacted us for an assessment of their roof after a hail storm to see if it should be replaced. We inspected it, and it wasn’t ready. And that was that.

But for several weeks after that, other roofing companies stopped by their house and insisted they needed a new roof.

The homeowners didn’t bite.

After another storm hit, months later, we were the first roofer they called. This time, the roof needed to be replaced. They chose us to do the job. Why? Because we had earned their trust.

That’s not an uncommon story. We make it a point to be honest when we talk with homeowners, even when being honest means that we may lose business. Usually, that goes against most people’s expectations of the roofing industry.

Here’s another example of why honesty matters, from the words of a client:

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“The first time I called Brian out to my home, I was referred to him by a neighbor who was using their company for a full roof replacement. The whole neighborhood was getting new roofs because of a recent hail storm.

Brian came out and advised me that my roof was not damaged (possibly because my house is newer than some of the surrounding ones) and he said it would be better for me to not file a claim.

A couple of years later, some roofers stopped by my house and told me my roof was damaged and I should let them inspect my roof. Instead, I called Brian and when he came out, he reassured me that it was still not damaged at that time.

Two more years go by and again, another set of roofers came through my neighborhood. They told me the shingles on my roof were discontinued and I should have it replaced. When my husband and I looked at the roof, we noticed a missing shingle so I called Brian again.

This time, Brian advised me that the roof was damaged and we did need a replacement. We hired Brian and Land Enterprises because he was honest in the previous two inspections. He could have made money off an unnecessary roof replacement, but he didn’t.

After the roof replacement, my mom told me there would be nails in my yard, and that I should inspect my yard for them so my dog didn’t get hurt. To my surprise there wasn’t a single nail on the lawn.”

– Linda Sharo, Edmond homeowner

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When everyone in Linda’s neighborhood was getting new roofs, it’s possible an insurance adjuster would have gone ahead and stated her roof was totaled as well, but it’s more likely that a claim would have been denied if she’d made one.

Once you make a call to your insurance company, you’ve filed a claim, even if it turns out your roof wasn’t really totaled. Often, the adjustor will in fact find dented gutters or vents but most deductibles are so large that the customer won’t receive any money from their insurance company for the repairs.

And the next time their roof is totaled, the insurance company probably won’t give them any money for the gutters or vents if they already had done so in the past. That will have to come out of the homeowner’s pocket.

This dynamic doesn’t affect roofers nearly as much as it affects homeowners, and in fact a lot of roofers won’t discuss this with their clients. But we think that’s dishonest.

Sometimes, that means we lose out on business, but other times that means we gain loyal customers down the road. And for us, honesty and loyal customers make for a pretty good combination.