Can I Sell My House With a Bad Roof?

Selling a property with a damaged roof is possible when you find the right homebuyer. But it’s important to ask yourself, as a homeowner, several questions before getting the process started. If this is your primary residence, you should try to at least temporarily fix the damage to avoid future leaks.

Consider consulting with a roof replacement company so that the inside of your home doesn’t suffer from water damage the next time it rains. Once you have made sure that all possible leaks have been at least temporarily stopped, you can consider your selling options.

Here’s a detailed overview of how to sell a house with a bad roof.

What Causes a Bad Roof On a House?

To start, try to find out what is causing your roof to be bad or damaged. If you are handy around the house, you can try to figure this out yourself. If you’re investigating the roof yourself (instead of hiring a professional), always be safe when entering the roof or using ladders to view it.

A roof specialist can quickly tell you what issues may be present with your roof. Many roofing companies also do roof checks for free, so you won’t have to pay anything to find out what the issue is.

Selling a house with a bad roof quickly and easily will depend on how bad the damage is. Oftentimes, there can be a small hole somewhere in the roof that causes a major leak each time it rains. Depending on the size of the hole, this can sometimes be an easy fix.

Roofs also have a general lifespan for how long they last. Many homeowners wish that roofs lasted for centuries. Maybe if you own a castle in England, your roof will last for hundreds of years. But, sadly, in the United States, roofs don’t usually last more than 30 years at most (source).

How to Sell a House With a Bad Roof

Do you really feel like fixing a bad roof on a property before selling? Some homeowners are up for this job and happy to do it. Others would prefer to sell a house with a bad roof. If you fall into this camp, there are options for you. Selling a house with a damaged roof is possible by finding the right buyer.

Selling On the Open Market

Placing your house on the open market is a quick way to gauge interest in your area from potential buyers. There are typically more buyers that shop on the open market for homes that prefer turnkey properties. This is because most of these buyers are families and owner-occupants.

You can successfully sell a house with a bad roof with the right marketing and advertising. Let your realtor know all of the information about the roof that you are aware of. You can include all of the details about the roof damage in the property’s description on the market.

This lets potential buyers know what situation they are getting into. A thorough description of a property also weeds out uninterested buyers who could flake on you later. By describing the roof condition in full detail, you can save both time and money – and potentially sell a house faster.

Selling to a Real Estate Investor

You can also sell your house with a bad roof to a local real estate investor. Many investors have notifications set up for when properties hit the market in their area. If you want to double down on your efforts, you can also attend real estate meetups in an attempt to find the right buyer for your property.

Many real estate investors and house flippers attend local meetups within their industry. You can connect with one of them there and successfully sell your house with a bad roof. Or you can ask for support from a real estate agent.

Real estate meetups are perfect for connecting with all sorts of different people within the industry. They present a perfect opportunity for homeowners trying to sell a house with a bad roof because of its unique situation and the limited buying pool (with most homebuyers looking for a home that doesn’t require costly renovation work).

Summary

Ideally, you can find a home buyer who will purchase your house as is. If this is not the case, certain buyers will request money at closing in return for taking on the property that suffers from damages. This is more common when dealing with owner-occupant home buyers.

Since they plan to live in the house themselves, they have more to handle once they purchase the home. Certain families and owner-occupant home buyers are more flexible than others. You can still sell your house with a damaged roof once you connect with the right buyer.

The important part about dealing with a property suffering from roof damage is finding the right homebuyer. If you need to sell a house for cash that has roof damage, Brotherly Love Real Estate can help.

We buy houses in Philadelphia and the surrounding area fast for cash – no matter what renovation work is needed. You can sell a house as is to our expert team for a fair price. Contact us to get your cash offer and learn more.