Can I Sell A House With A Bad Or Damaged Roof In Charlotte?

Because it usually stops the buyer’s financing rather than the buyer. Most people buying a house are borrowing to do it, and a lender wants the property to be sound security. A roof that is leaking or visibly at the end of its life is exactly the sort of finding that leads to the work being required before closing.

Insurance is the second obstacle. A buyer generally needs cover in place to complete, and roof condition and age are things insurers take into account when deciding what they will write and on what terms.

So the house does not fail to sell because nobody wants it. It fails to sell because the two institutions standing behind the buyer will not proceed until the roof is dealt with, and the seller is the one expected to deal with it.

Check your own policy before you assume either. Cover for roof damage varies a great deal, particularly on older roofs and on wear rather than storm damage, and your deductible comes off whatever is paid. A claim also takes time: an adjuster has to inspect, the scope has to be agreed, and the work has to be scheduled.

Replacing it yourself puts the cost on you now, in exchange for a higher sale price later that the market has not promised you. Sometimes that maths works. Often it does not, particularly where the roof is not the only thing needing attention.

We can buy the house without either step. If you would rather pursue the claim first, that is a perfectly reasonable choice and we will still be here afterwards.

Four routes, set out plainly.

Tell us at the start. An open claim is not an obstacle, but it does need to be handled deliberately, because who is entitled to the proceeds depends on when the claim settles relative to closing and what your policy says.

We will work with your timing rather than push you to abandon a claim that is close to paying out. What we would rather avoid is finding out about it late, when it becomes a complication for the closing attorney instead of a detail agreed up front.