In this market, roofs kill deals. Not usually by failing an inspection outright — more often by introducing enough uncertainty that a buyer asks for money, and the two sides spend two weeks arguing about a number neither of them can substantiate.
Here's how to handle it from both sides.
What a general home inspector will and won't tell you
A general home inspector is looking at the whole house. They'll note visible roof condition, obvious damage, and often the roof's approximate age. What they typically won't do is walk a steep roof, assess hail bruising by feel, evaluate whether flashing details were done correctly, or tell you how many years are genuinely left.
That's not a criticism — it's outside the scope of a general inspection. It's just why "the inspector said the roof looked fine" and "the roof has ten years left" are different statements.
If you're buying
- Get a roofing-specific inspection during your option period. It's free from us and it gives you something the general report won't: remaining service life and a repair-versus-replace assessment with photos.
- Ask the age and the claim history. In the Hill Country, a roof that has never been claimed on a house built in 2005 is itself a data point worth understanding.
- Check insurability before you're past your option period. This is the one buyers miss. Get a quote on the actual property — if a carrier won't write it, or will only write roof coverage at ACV, that's a real cost you should know about before closing rather than after.
- Look at ventilation, not just shingles. An under-ventilated attic means the next roof ages early too. It's cheap to correct during a replacement and expensive to retrofit.
If you're selling
- Get ahead of it. A documented pre-listing roof inspection lets you either fix small things cheaply or price the home knowing what's coming. Both beat discovering it during the option period with a buyer holding leverage.
- Small repairs are worth doing. Cracked pipe boots, lifted shingles and damaged flashing cost a few hundred dollars and are exactly what shows up in an inspection report as a scary bullet point.
- A full replacement rarely returns dollar for dollar — but it removes the single biggest negotiation lever a buyer has, and in the current insurance market it materially widens your buyer pool.
- Keep the paperwork. Manufacturer warranty registration, the workmanship warranty, and permit records all transfer value. Our workmanship warranty is transferable to one subsequent homeowner, which is worth mentioning in the listing.
The insurance angle nobody mentions until it's late
Texas carriers have become notably stricter about roof age. A buyer can be fully qualified, fully committed, and still have trouble getting a policy written on a home with an aging roof — or find that the only available policy covers the roof at actual cash value.
That has become a genuine closing risk rather than a theoretical one. We wrote about what changed in Texas insurers and old roofs.
The roof-age conversation, honestly
An architectural shingle roof in the Hill Country realistically delivers 20 to 25 years, regardless of the number printed on the wrapper. Heat, UV and hail frequency all pull that number down. So a fifteen-year-old roof isn't necessarily a problem — but it's a roof with a known horizon, and both sides of a transaction deserve to price it accordingly.
We'll inspect either side, free
Buyer or seller, we'll walk the roof, photograph it, and give you a written assessment with remaining life and any repair recommendations. No obligation, and we're happy to talk to your agent directly.
Request an inspection or call (210) 245-4125.
