The housing market is crazy right now. A combination of inflation and supply chain issues has the real estate marketing booming. People are getting more than the asking price for their house. Buyers are desperate, and sellers can sell just about anything.

Buyers are even snatching up houses that still need work done, and that can cause problems.

Roofing and real estate

In the past, if you were selling a house and your roof was in bad condition, you had to replace it first. Your insurance may have covered all or part of the cost, but it was your responsibility regardless. The sale of the house was usually contingent on it.

But right now, things are different. Since the pandemic hit, homes have been harder to come by. As a result of that high demand and low supply, many home buyers elect to buy their homes as-is. Because if they won’t, someone else will.

That’s not good for the buyer!

Buying a bad roof

Buying a home as-is means the roof may have damage, and that’s bad. The seller should have had insurance, as that could have covered part or all of the bill for roof repairs or replacement. But as the new homeowner, you’re out of luck. You didn’t own the home or have insurance on the roof when the damage happened, so you’ll have to pay for the repairs or replacement out of your own pocket.

Even if you had insurance at your previous home, that wouldn’t cover damage to the roof that happened before you owned the house.

Work with a real estate agent you trust, and have the roof of the home you’re considering inspected by a roofer you trust. They will tell you if the roof is okay or if it has damage you’ll have to pay out of your own pocket to fix.