Roof Checks Before and After Buying a Home
If you're buying a house in Baltimore City or Baltimore County, the roof deserves a closer look than it usually gets. I'd have it checked twice: once before you settle, and once after you move in. Here's why, and what a roofer looks for each time.
Why a home inspection isn't always enough
A general home inspector looks at the whole house in a few hours. That's useful, but many don't walk the roof, especially if it's steep, wet, slate, or three stories up. Some look from a ladder at the edge or from the ground. That can miss things like loose flashing at a chimney, soft decking, or a flat roof with a seam that's starting to open.
A roofer is looking at one thing, and we know the common failure spots on Baltimore houses: rowhome parapets, slate on older homes, chimneys, and porch roofs.
Before you buy
A roof check during your inspection window gives you real information while you still have options.
- Find hidden damage. Shingles can look fine from the street while the wood underneath is soft, or the flashing behind a chimney has rusted through.
- Know where the roof stands. If it's near the end of its life, that's good to know before you settle, not after. You can use it when you talk with the seller about repairs or price.
- Be ready for your insurance company. Some insurers ask about the age and condition of the roof. Pictures and a written summary help.
What we look at before a sale:
- Shingle or slate condition, and any missing or slipped pieces
- Flashing at chimneys, walls, vents, and skylights
- Flat roof seams, drains, and any standing water
- Gutters, fascia, and the roof edge
- The attic, if we can get to it, for stains, damp insulation, or daylight
After you move in
The second check matters more than people think.
- Seller patches. Some leaks get covered up before a sale with a coat of paint on the ceiling or a smear of tar on the roof. Those quick fixes tend to fail once the house goes through a few hard rains.
- The first big storm. Walk the house after the first heavy rain. Check the top floor ceilings, around the chimney, and in the attic. If you see something new, take a picture right away.
- Skipped maintenance. Clogged gutters, blocked attic vents, and cracked chimney crowns are common in houses that sat for a while. They're usually small repairs if you catch them early.
Steep, tall, and slate roofs
For roofs that aren't safe or smart to walk, like steep slate or a tall three-story house, we can use a drone. I'm an FAA-licensed drone pilot, and the pictures let you see the whole roof up close without anyone stepping on fragile slate. More on that on our drone roof inspection page.
A few things to ask the seller
- How old is the roof, and is there any paperwork from past work?
- Has there been a leak, and where?
- Has the chimney been repointed or had a new crown?
- When were the gutters last cleaned?
Their answers, plus what we see on the roof, give you a pretty clear picture. For a rough idea of how long each material tends to last here, see our roof lifespan page. And if something does turn up, our roof leak detection and repair page explains how we track it down.
If you're buying soon and not sure what you're looking at, text the address and a few pictures to 443-900-4815 or give us a call. MHIC #154344.
