Roof Inspection before Making an Offer?

[Karl K.]

Hello Everyone,

I am new to commercial RE and would appreciate any and all feedback.

There is a commercial warehouse in FL that I am interested in buying. I will be using this space for my own business i plan to open. This building is around 40yrs old and has been vacant for last couple years (zoning is ok for my business).

I want to make an offer but am worried about the roof. I visited the property with the listing agent and noticed some of the ceiling tiles were completely soaked and almost falling down. I was told that this property is priced at current market value. But how do I know if a bad roof was considered when pricing the property? My understanding is that "due diligence" is when the inspections will take place and then i will know how bad of a condition the roof is in. Can I hire a roofer to come and give an estimate before making an offer? I know this is not the way it works, but can someone help explain why negotiating the price then doing "due diligence" would be beneficial in this particular case?