When a high-end South Florida property goes under contract, the buyer's inspector will ask for three documents related to the roof. If they are not produced, the closing slows. If they reveal issues, the price adjusts. Owners considering a sale within five years should ensure these are in order before listing.
1. The current wind-mitigation report
The OIR-B1-1802 form, current within 5 years. The buyer's insurance carrier will require it for underwriting. A 10-year-old report is technically valid for the form itself but will be re-inspected by the buyer's carrier.
If your wind-mitigation report is older than 5 years, a fresh inspection costs $200-$400 and typically improves your discounts as a side effect. Worth doing before listing.
2. The product approvals (FPA/NOA) for the installed material
The buyer's inspector wants to confirm that the roof was installed with code-compliant materials. The original FPA or NOA documents establish this.
If you cannot find these documents, your contractor can usually re-produce them — but it takes time. Better to find them now.
3. The original installation permit and certificate of completion
The permit documents prove the work was done with city or county oversight. The certificate of completion proves the project closed properly. Both should be in your closeout package; if not, your contractor or the county should have them on file.
What inspectors flag
Beyond the documents, the visual inspection focuses on:
- Age of the roof: if the material is more than 60% through its expected life, the buyer's offer typically reflects a roof-replacement allowance.
- Visible defects: any displaced tile, lifted flashing, visible underlayment wear.
- Drainage: gutters, downspouts, splash blocks, any visible drainage failure.
- Penetrations: chimneys, vents, skylights, solar — all the failure-prone interfaces.
- Adjacent stucco and trim: water marks below the roof line are signs of roof issues even if the roof itself looks clean.
What sellers can do six months before listing
The interventions that pay off most reliably:
- Re-inspect for the wind-mitigation report (small cost, larger return).
- Clean valleys and gutters (visual condition matters).
- Photograph the roof condition for the listing (good photos sell the home; a roof that does not need replacing is a selling feature).
- Address any visible cosmetic issues (a broken tile near the eave is a $300 fix that prevents a $30,000 buyer credit request).
What sellers should not do six months before listing
Re-roof to sell. The math rarely works.
A new roof costs $80,000-$300,000 depending on size and material. The resale premium is typically 60-75% of the install cost. The owner is leaving $20,000-$80,000 on the closing.
The exception: a roof at end-of-life that is genuinely scaring buyers. If your roof inspector is identifying it as needing replacement in the next 3 years, replacing before sale is sometimes correct. If your roof has 10 good years left, the math is on selling as-is.
Where we fit
We do not do real-estate work, and we do not market to listing agents. But we have been the contractor on enough re-roofs that owners are about to sell to know that the question deserves a measured answer. If you are weighing a pre-sale re-roof, the honest assessment from us is "do not, unless the roof is genuinely failing." We will tell you that even if you have called for an estimate.
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