Considering a new roof

[Carlos O.]

Hello BP,

Learning about real estate never seems to stop. Today, I am thinking about roofs. I'm planning on being an out of state long term buy and hold investor. I'm currently looking at Kansas City and I have a few questions, especially for those that live there. In looking at roofs, I see that there are several types, but essentially (for the purposes of most landlords) it boils down to to 3 tab or architectural shingles. To add another dimension to that, if the home is in an area where it hails or has really strong winds, the shingles can also come with impact resistance. 

So I have a lot of questions about this and am seeking to learn from those that have experience with this. If you currently own property in an area where it hails, does your roof have impact resistance or not? If you needed to change the roof, would you go with IR shingles or not?

There's always the cost tradeoff, but I would like to do the right thing for the long run. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this BP'ers.

[Nate Garrett]

Hi @Carlos O.

You might find this blog article that I wrote useful.

Bottom line, I recommend architectural roofs if you are going to hold the property long term. For around 10-15% cost difference you will likely get an extra 30% longer life over a 3 tab.