I inherited my mom’s house, and the roof is 32 years old. It’s still in good shape with no leaks or missing shingles, but my mom didn’t want to spend the money to replace it. Now, no insurance company will cover the house because the roof is over 20 years old. They said I can get coverage as soon as there’s a signed contract for a new roof, but I’m planning to sell the house. My real estate agent, whom I trust, says not to replace the roof because any new owner will likely remodel and replace it anyway. Is there any way I can keep the house insured until it’s sold? I have a couple of months left on the current policy’s grace period.
Sell the house as-is and make it clear that the roof will need to be replaced for insurance. Make sure the price reflects that.
If you’re selling, don’t replace the roof. Let the real estate agent know that you’re not planning on making any major repairs. List the house with the original roof and make sure buyers know it’s going to need a new one. You should try to sell it as soon as possible, though—you don’t want the house sitting uninsured.
Put the house up for sale ASAP and take whatever offer you can get. Don’t wait around for the perfect buyer or top dollar. Just sell it quickly, and avoid any contingencies if you can. You could also pay for a detailed inspection upfront and give that to potential buyers. That way they can consider everything before making an offer. If you try to replace the roof first, you’ll end up spending money you won’t get back.
Cairo said:
Put the house up for sale ASAP and take whatever offer you can get. Don’t wait around for the perfect buyer or top dollar. Just sell it quickly, and avoid any contingencies if you can. You could also pay for a detailed inspection upfront and give that to potential buyers. That way they can consider everything before making an offer. If you try to replace the roof first, you’ll end up spending money you won’t get back.
That’s exactly what I did with my dad’s house when he passed. I priced it well and sold it within a week. The buyer said they were planning to remodel the whole thing.
You could look into surplus insurance through an agency. It’s more expensive and won’t cover the roof, but it’s an option.
Ren said:
You could look into surplus insurance through an agency. It’s more expensive and won’t cover the roof, but it’s an option.
Yeah, just ask for a fire policy to cover major damage.
Since you’ve only got a couple of months left, here are two options: 1) Sell the house as fast as possible, before the grace period ends. 2) Spend money on a new roof (say around $20k), but you probably won’t get that back when you sell. Not having insurance is risky, so you’ve got to decide quickly.
Miller said:
I inherited my mom’s house, and the roof is 32 years old. It’s still in good shape with no leaks or missing shingles, but my mom didn’t want to spend the money to replace it. Now, no insurance company will cover the house because the roof is over 20 years old. They said I can get coverage as soon as there’s a signed contract for a new roof, but I’m planning to sell the house. My real estate agent, whom I trust, says not to replace the roof because any new owner will likely remodel and replace it anyway. Is there any way I can keep the house insured until it’s sold? I have a couple of months left on the current policy’s grace period.
I’ve seen homes like this insured with policies that exclude roof damage. These policies are expensive and don’t cover much, but they’ll protect you from total loss in case of fire or other disasters.
Miller said:
I inherited my mom’s house, and the roof is 32 years old. It’s still in good shape with no leaks or missing shingles, but my mom didn’t want to spend the money to replace it. Now, no insurance company will cover the house because the roof is over 20 years old. They said I can get coverage as soon as there’s a signed contract for a new roof, but I’m planning to sell the house. My real estate agent, whom I trust, says not to replace the roof because any new owner will likely remodel and replace it anyway. Is there any way I can keep the house insured until it’s sold? I have a couple of months left on the current policy’s grace period.
I’ve seen homes like this insured with policies that exclude roof damage. These policies are expensive and don’t cover much, but they’ll protect you from total loss in case of fire or other disasters.
I was wondering if there’s insurance that excludes the roof. As soon as the roof is replaced, getting a regular policy should be easier. I’m not sure about Connecticut, but in some places like California or Florida, insurance can be tricky.
Shiloh said:
Miller said:
I inherited my mom’s house, and the roof is 32 years old. It’s still in good shape with no leaks or missing shingles, but my mom didn’t want to spend the money to replace it. Now, no insurance company will cover the house because the roof is over 20 years old. They said I can get coverage as soon as there’s a signed contract for a new roof, but I’m planning to sell the house. My real estate agent, whom I trust, says not to replace the roof because any new owner will likely remodel and replace it anyway. Is there any way I can keep the house insured until it’s sold? I have a couple of months left on the current policy’s grace period.
I’ve seen homes like this insured with policies that exclude roof damage. These policies are expensive and don’t cover much, but they’ll protect you from total loss in case of fire or other disasters.
I was wondering if there’s insurance that excludes the roof. As soon as the roof is replaced, getting a regular policy should be easier. I’m not sure about Connecticut, but in some places like California or Florida, insurance can be tricky.
The house is in Connecticut.
Aldrin said:
Shiloh said:
Miller said:
I inherited my mom’s house, and the roof is 32 years old. It’s still in good shape with no leaks or missing shingles, but my mom didn’t want to spend the money to replace it. Now, no insurance company will cover the house because the roof is over 20 years old. They said I can get coverage as soon as there’s a signed contract for a new roof, but I’m planning to sell the house. My real estate agent, whom I trust, says not to replace the roof because any new owner will likely remodel and replace it anyway. Is there any way I can keep the house insured until it’s sold? I have a couple of months left on the current policy’s grace period.
I’ve seen homes like this insured with policies that exclude roof damage. These policies are expensive and don’t cover much, but they’ll protect you from total loss in case of fire or other disasters.
I was wondering if there’s insurance that excludes the roof. As soon as the roof is replaced, getting a regular policy should be easier. I’m not sure about Connecticut, but in some places like California or Florida, insurance can be tricky.
The house is in Connecticut.
Got it. Contact a local independent insurance agent—they should be able to help you find a policy. Unfortunately, I don’t have a license for Connecticut, but an agent there can guide you.
Miller said:
I inherited my mom’s house, and the roof is 32 years old. It’s still in good shape with no leaks or missing shingles, but my mom didn’t want to spend the money to replace it. Now, no insurance company will cover the house because the roof is over 20 years old. They said I can get coverage as soon as there’s a signed contract for a new roof, but I’m planning to sell the house. My real estate agent, whom I trust, says not to replace the roof because any new owner will likely remodel and replace it anyway. Is there any way I can keep the house insured until it’s sold? I have a couple of months left on the current policy’s grace period.
If you don’t replace the roof, any buyer will have to get high-risk insurance, which is more expensive. This might make selling the house harder. Trying to sell an uninsured home is really risky. Plus, an uninsured home is more likely to be damaged, especially if strangers are coming through to look at it. I learned this the hard way when I bought my house and had to replace the roof right away.
Miller said:
I inherited my mom’s house, and the roof is 32 years old. It’s still in good shape with no leaks or missing shingles, but my mom didn’t want to spend the money to replace it. Now, no insurance company will cover the house because the roof is over 20 years old. They said I can get coverage as soon as there’s a signed contract for a new roof, but I’m planning to sell the house. My real estate agent, whom I trust, says not to replace the roof because any new owner will likely remodel and replace it anyway. Is there any way I can keep the house insured until it’s sold? I have a couple of months left on the current policy’s grace period.
You could look into surplus line policies that cover everything except the roof. Maybe a DP1 or DP3 policy could work for you.
Miller said:
I inherited my mom’s house, and the roof is 32 years old. It’s still in good shape with no leaks or missing shingles, but my mom didn’t want to spend the money to replace it. Now, no insurance company will cover the house because the roof is over 20 years old. They said I can get coverage as soon as there’s a signed contract for a new roof, but I’m planning to sell the house. My real estate agent, whom I trust, says not to replace the roof because any new owner will likely remodel and replace it anyway. Is there any way I can keep the house insured until it’s sold? I have a couple of months left on the current policy’s grace period.
Thanks for the advice, everyone. I didn’t know about the surplus or FAIR plans before.
Miller said:
I inherited my mom’s house, and the roof is 32 years old. It’s still in good shape with no leaks or missing shingles, but my mom didn’t want to spend the money to replace it. Now, no insurance company will cover the house because the roof is over 20 years old. They said I can get coverage as soon as there’s a signed contract for a new roof, but I’m planning to sell the house. My real estate agent, whom I trust, says not to replace the roof because any new owner will likely remodel and replace it anyway. Is there any way I can keep the house insured until it’s sold? I have a couple of months left on the current policy’s grace period.
A broker might be able to find a surplus market policy that excludes roof damage but still covers other risks. It’ll be more expensive, but it’s something to consider while you wait to sell.
Miller said:
I inherited my mom’s house, and the roof is 32 years old. It’s still in good shape with no leaks or missing shingles, but my mom didn’t want to spend the money to replace it. Now, no insurance company will cover the house because the roof is over 20 years old. They said I can get coverage as soon as there’s a signed contract for a new roof, but I’m planning to sell the house. My real estate agent, whom I trust, says not to replace the roof because any new owner will likely remodel and replace it anyway. Is there any way I can keep the house insured until it’s sold? I have a couple of months left on the current policy’s grace period.
You should be able to get a policy through an independent agent who can check surplus lines markets or your state’s high-risk pool. The coverage is important, not just for the house but also for liability if someone gets hurt on the property.
Miller said:
I inherited my mom’s house, and the roof is 32 years old. It’s still in good shape with no leaks or missing shingles, but my mom didn’t want to spend the money to replace it. Now, no insurance company will cover the house because the roof is over 20 years old. They said I can get coverage as soon as there’s a signed contract for a new roof, but I’m planning to sell the house. My real estate agent, whom I trust, says not to replace the roof because any new owner will likely remodel and replace it anyway. Is there any way I can keep the house insured until it’s sold? I have a couple of months left on the current policy’s grace period.
Check out surplus insurance or your state’s FAIR plan. The policy won’t cover the roof, but it’ll protect you from major losses, like if the house burns down. Any local agent should be able to help you with this.
Miller said:
I inherited my mom’s house, and the roof is 32 years old. It’s still in good shape with no leaks or missing shingles, but my mom didn’t want to spend the money to replace it. Now, no insurance company will cover the house because the roof is over 20 years old. They said I can get coverage as soon as there’s a signed contract for a new roof, but I’m planning to sell the house. My real estate agent, whom I trust, says not to replace the roof because any new owner will likely remodel and replace it anyway. Is there any way I can keep the house insured until it’s sold? I have a couple of months left on the current policy’s grace period.
Do you have any quotes for what it would cost to replace the roof?
Miller said:
I inherited my mom’s house, and the roof is 32 years old. It’s still in good shape with no leaks or missing shingles, but my mom didn’t want to spend the money to replace it. Now, no insurance company will cover the house because the roof is over 20 years old. They said I can get coverage as soon as there’s a signed contract for a new roof, but I’m planning to sell the house. My real estate agent, whom I trust, says not to replace the roof because any new owner will likely remodel and replace it anyway. Is there any way I can keep the house insured until it’s sold? I have a couple of months left on the current policy’s grace period.
Do you have any quotes for what it would cost to replace the roof?
Yeah, I got three estimates, and the one I’d go with is $15,200.