Real Deal REInvestor Network

I know that with a lot of “tips” you see on the internet for real estate investing, a lot of that stuff is not very practical boots-on-the-ground advice for dealing with an actual property or house, or focuses on some of the soft aspects of house-buying like negotiation, marketing, financing or how to write a contract—nothing that has to do with an actual house.

You may have wondered why that is sometimes, and I think it’s that many people who write the tips and reach a high level in real estate aren’t the guys who are good with the hammers but know how to create a business that employs those who are, paying them to do what they are good at as part of a bigger project.

I certainly am no expert in fixing up houses. You should see my first rehab that I tried to oversee personally, it was a mess! But today I want to take the ‘white gloves’ off.

I want to let you in on something a little more concrete. I want to tell you how to inspect a roof properly as a professional roofing inspector would go about the job, so you can know what’s going on even if you do as you should and hire a professional to do the roofing on your fix up properties for you.

To start with, a sturdy and well-constructed home’s roof should at the minimum have adequate structural support to the rafters, quality roof decking, and a well-sealed roof covering. That’s just the basics.

Speaking of roof coverings, the most common are pretty much asphalt shingles. You can get asphalt shingles in a variety of weights and thicknesses and varying degrees of quality. The contractors I’ve worked with who produced the prettiest and sturdiest results have let me know that they shoot for higher quality shingles in most instances, and that even if you have to pay a higher price that’s what you want else you’ll be looking at deterioration of these vital parts of the roofing in a shorter time than you expected (or budgeted for).

The first and most obvious deterioration of asphalt shingles is frequently the loss of surface granules, which can become brittle and lose their tensile strength.  Watch out for the wear and tear that happens in the narrow grooves between tabs or sections of the shingle itself, or in the space between two shingles in a row. 

Be careful when inspecting these kinds of situations to check that this shingle decay doesn’t penetrate further as it might extend completely through to the roof boards or decking without showing during a casual or visual inspection.  That’s why your roofing inspection, whether you do it or someone does it for you, needs to pull up some of the shingles and check beneath the decking to make a thorough inspection.

When people hear it’s a great idea to do a thorough roof inspection before buying any new property, sometimes they think that’s best left to professionals. I totally agree, but anyone without any training or license can tell if it’s raining inside the house and that there must therefore be a problem. If the exterior roof is leaking a bunch, it should be obvious from water damage to the house interior. That’s your major roofing problem to look out for of course. Anything smaller is much more manageable. Still, though, small leaks may not be readily noticeable and if left unchecked can cause costly damage at a later date. That’s where it pays to have someone with experience eyeballing smaller problems that can turn into bigger ones if unchecked.

The point here is that no doubt you want a professional to take a look when you’re about to buy a new house, but when you educate yourself enough of what to expect and what to look for, you can insulate yourself from getting taken for a ride by any unscrupulous contractor out there telling you something and thinking you don’t know anything.

So let’s walk through a typical inspection, and please note that what I’m about to share with you are not my tips from personal experience but my notes from speaking with a roofing inspector and contractor who has worked with me a number of times and earned my trust. 

If your roof inspection is done properly, it should include looking for any sub-par conditions in the accessible areas of the roof framing or structure, insulation, and ventilation features, plus the interior of the house areas that might be affected by any potential roofing issues. Most commonly, what you or your roofing professional should be looking for are these important items:

1)    Type of roofing material used
2)    Expected usage life and deficiencies of employed material(s)
3)    Type of framing structure (e.g. prefabricated trusses and/or conventional frame)
4)    Evidence of possible deficiencies with framing or trusses
5)    Gutters and downspouts—are they corroded, damaged, or missing?
6)    Signs of water leakage evident around the chimneys
7)    Water stains on the ceilings around the perimeter of the home
8)    Water stains on the rafters (as well as at wall junctions in each room of the interior)
9)    Visibly cracked or split shingles
10)    Peeling shingles or ones that are clearly or warped at the corners
11)    Shingles excessively covered with tar or sap
12)    Fungus anywhere in roofing materials, trusses, framing, or interior areas under roof
13)    Roof drainage: how and where does the roof drain water off?
14)    Excessive “ponding” (i.e. standing water areas on roof)
15)    Obstructed drains that might cause water to be trapped
16)    Missing or run-down rain gutters, downspouts or related material
17)    Working status of ventilation openings and systems 
18)    Does anything obstruct attic access?
19)    Insulation existence, type and thickness
20)    Sagging, buckled or warped roof decking

I want to thank my friend the roofing inspector for sharing with me the above list of items to look out for, which you can also use as a checklist on any preliminary roofing inspections on your own home or on a potential investment property purchase.

You’ll be glad you did!