A damaged roof creates more problems than just poor curb appeal. Buyers will ask for $10,000 to $30,000 in credits once the inspectors find problems. Lenders can refuse financing if the insurance won't cover a roof that's too old or damaged. A bad roof can lower your home's value by 10 - 20%. The upside is that a full replacement gets you back about 60 - 70% of that cost in added value.
Atlanta's climate is tough on roofs. The humidity, wild temperature swings and one bad storm after another work together to break down roofing materials faster than in most other areas. Moisture, heat and storm damage pile up fast, so you need to maintain your roof - it's necessary to protect your home's value.
Here's how your roof's condition directly affects what buyers will pay for your home!
Roof condition matters more for the home value. A damaged roof can knock 10% to 20% off what your property is worth, and those percentages mean money - sometimes tens of thousands of dollars, depending on your home's price.
Let's say you have an Atlanta home - one with a solid roof might sell for around $400,000. Damage to that roof is going to hurt your sale price. You'll lose about $60,000 from that number with a 15% reduction, dropping you down to just $340,000.
On the bright side, a new roof installation helps you recoup a pretty decent chunk of that investment. On average, homeowners get back between 60% to 70% of what they originally spent on the roof replacement when it comes time to sell. It won't cover everything you paid. But what it does do is stop your home's value from taking a big drop down the line.
Appraisers are always going to check out your roof when they come in to review your property. Missing shingles, sagging sections and how old the roof looks all get written down during the visit. Everything they find ends up making its way into the final appraisal number that you receive.
Buyers watch the roof pretty closely as well. When they find out it needs work, most will ask for closing credits to help cover those repair costs. The amounts usually range from $10,000 to $30,000, depending on how bad the damage is. Some buyers will even walk away from the deal if the roof looks like it's going to need a replacement in the next year or two.
The numbers on this add up quickly. A roof that needs work means you'll either have to drop your asking price or hand out credits to buyers at the closing. Either way, you're walking away with less money than you had planned when everything's said and done.
Atlanta roofs take a beating year-round. The climate here is humid and subtropical, and it happens to be just what algae need to grow well on roof shingles. Those dark streaks on roofs around town mostly show up on the north slopes where moisture tends to hang around the longest.
Our weather patterns throughout the year don't help roofs either. Summer thunderstorms roll in hard, and we get hail the size of golf balls all the time. The 2023 tornado damage tore through a few of the neighborhoods around here. Bad weather like that can crack shingles and strip away those protective granules in just a few minutes.
The temperature swings are brutal on roofs around here. A winter morning might start out at 30 degrees, and by the time July rolls around, afternoon temperatures can push right past 95 degrees. All that heat causes your roof materials to expand and contract over and over and puts a lot of stress on the entire system. Every component has to handle that movement repeatedly, day after day, season after season.
The UV exposure is another big factor that damages roofs at a pretty fast rate. The Georgia sun sits up there and beats down on your roof for hours each day during our long, hot summers. All that direct sunlight breaks down the asphalt in your shingles and makes them brittle as time goes on. The protective oils in your roofing materials evaporate slowly but steadily, and your shingles become weaker and weaker against the other types of damage they'll eventually face.
All these factors combined mean that roofs age much faster here than they would in milder climates. Knowing what causes all this weather damage makes it much easier to see why roof condition matters this much for home values around Atlanta.
Buyers and home inspectors usually look first at the roofline when they show up at a property. Any sagging or uneven areas along the roof are a red flag because that usually means there's a structural issue hidden underneath. Missing shingles are not hard to see since the underlayment will sit there exposed to rain, wind and whatever else Mother Nature decides to throw at it.
Dark streaks that run down your roof are another warning sign worth your attention. Those stains come from algae growth that thrives in our humid Atlanta summers. Algae growth tells buyers that moisture has been on your roof long enough for something to actually start growing there.
Home inspectors are going to give the shingles themselves a better look during this part of it. They'll mainly check for edges that curl up or any bald patches where the protective granules have worn away. Those granules matter a lot because they protect the asphalt underneath from sun damage, and they help water drain off your roof like it should.
The inside of your home matters just as much. Water stains on your ceilings are a big red flag when buyers come through to look at your home. A few buyers will actually pull out binoculars right there in the driveway before they step inside your front door. They want to check out your roof from the ground level and see what shape it's actually in. Plenty of buyers do this now because they want to spot problems as early as possible when they buy a home.
All these visual clues add up fast when buyers tour your property. Most of them are already calculating repair costs in their heads and thinking about what else could be wrong underneath those shingles. Even small signs of wear will change how buyers review your home's worth well before anyone sits down to make an offer.
Most insurance carriers will ask for a roof inspection once a roof reaches about 10 years old. It's become a fairly standard requirement across Atlanta and the rest of Georgia. This usually pops up when a homeowner renews their policy or when they switch from one insurance carrier to another.
A damaged or aging roof can make it tough to sell your home. If an insurance company doesn't cover you because of your roof's condition, then the sale gets much harder. Most homebuyers can't buy a house without a mortgage. Before any lender will approve that loan, they need to have proof of homeowner's insurance. Without that coverage, the mortgage won't go through. When this happens, your buyer pool shrinks down to just the ones who can pay in cash.
Insurance carriers have started to use drones and aerial imagery to check on the roof conditions from above. A drone flies over your house and takes very comprehensive photos of your entire roof, and an adjuster never even has to visit your property. The insurance company can review the photos right from their office, and it saves them quite a bit of time and money.
The four-point inspection is an important one to know about because it covers your roof, electrical system, plumbing and HVAC all in one go. Inspectors will fail homes when they find missing shingles, visible damage or a roof that's just too worn out to pass their requirements. Water stains on your ceiling can also create problems during these inspections.
Detailed records can save you plenty of headaches when you deal with roof insurance claims. Every receipt from repairs, maintenance visits, gutter cleaning work, or contractor work to replace damaged sections should go into a file somewhere safe. This paper trail shows that you've kept up with maintenance over the years.
Your roof material is actually going to play a large role in what your home sells for when the time comes. Most homes in the Atlanta area do quite well with architectural shingles. The cost is fair, and the performance is solid, and they look miles ahead of old three-tab shingles that were everywhere back in the day. They also handle everything Atlanta throws at them just fine.
In some neighborhoods, though, you're going to want something a bit more upscale. Buckhead and Virginia-Highland are great examples of this. Buyers in areas like these expect premium finishes on every part of the house, and yes, that includes the roof. Materials like slate or metal add value to your property in markets like this. A metal roof installation might run you anywhere from $15,000 to $25,000, and I know that sounds like quite a bit up front. Selling in these higher-end neighborhoods could bring you a return of 85% or more, though.
Put that same upgrade on a house in East Point or College Park, and the numbers work out differently. You'd spend roughly the same amount on that premium roof. Your return on investment drops dramatically to somewhere around 40% to 50% of what you paid for it. Home prices in these areas just can't simplify that expense. What you wind up with is a roof that's actually too nice for what the neighborhood can support from a value standpoint.
Cedar shakes are another roofing option that's worth a look. But they do have a few drawbacks. Visually, they look beautiful and can add plenty of character to older homes, especially. But buyers and home inspectors are going to look at them pretty closely. Fire safety has become a much bigger concern, and plenty of insurers will charge higher premiums for homes with wood roofing. Those extra costs can scare off buyers before they think about putting in a bid.
Metal roofs make plenty of sense for anyone planning to stay in their house for the long haul. They can last for 50 years or longer, and they stand up quite well to the summer storms that roll through every year. In most of the mid-range neighborhoods around Atlanta, you'll see returns somewhere in the 60% to 70% range. It's a great option if how long it lasts matters more to you than seeing every dollar of it back at resale.
A worn-out roof should get replaced before the house goes on the market - not turned into a negotiating point later on. Repair credits can be tempting. But they don't usually work out in your favor. Atlanta buyers want move-in-ready homes, and most of them don't want to deal with contractors or pay for repairs themselves after they've already closed.
March through May is the best window for most roof replacements. These months help you dodge the worst of the summer heat, and you'll have time to get everything finished before the main spring selling season arrives. Milder temperatures make the installation much easier on your roofing crew, and you can get your home listed right when buyer demand reaches its peak.
Plans change fast when something breaks and you need to take care of it right then and there. Repairs during the winter months are usually going to cost more - bad weather slows everything down, and there's just less daylight to work with. But wait too long and you might miss the spring market - it's when buyers with money and interest come out to play. You're stuck making a choice between paying extra for winter repairs or missing out on a few prime selling months.
It will serve you much better to plan ahead if time happens to be on your side. A full roof replacement can take a few weeks from start to finish with permits and contractor scheduling. Make sure to build in enough of a buffer to get the work done and still list when market conditions favor sellers.
A home is probably one of the biggest purchases anyone will ever make, and the roof plays a much bigger role in protecting that investment than most homeowners know. Roof problems are much easier to handle early on, before they turn into big problems that drive away buyers. It'll work out better for you than if you scramble to negotiate repair credits at the last minute with buyers who are already on the fence about your property.
Roof care doesn't have to be hard or stressful at all. A professional inspection is usually a solid first step because it gives you a sense of what condition your roof is actually in right now. Then you should review your insurance policy and make sure you understand what your company needs from you to keep your coverage valid. Another step worth taking is to take a walk around your neighborhood and see what kinds of roofing materials your neighbors have been going with. When your roof matches what's already in the area, your home fits in better with the surroundings and can increase your resale value when it's time to sell.
A roofing professional can tell you if you need a full replacement or if repairs will do the job, and they'll also help you get the most value out of your home. Colony Roofers works with commercial and residential clients in Georgia, Florida and Texas. Your roof is one of the biggest investments in your property, so it needs to be in the right hands. To protect what you've put into your home, contact us for a free inspection, and we'll take care of everything the right way.