To roof or not to roof, that is the question

[James Stayton]

I am selling my rental house in California to purchase one in Tn ( Goal is multi-family ) and it failed the roof inspection. In all fairness to the roof, its been 20 years so I got my money's worth. It's about 18k for the new roof ( the cost of plywood sucks ) and I am wondering if its worth putting on. I am told that NOT doing it and i miss out on VA etc buyers. I have a feeling it's not dollar per dollar payoff.

In today's market is it worth doing? It doesn't leak, it's just old. Any thoughts are appreciated. :) 

[Nathan Gesner]

I disagree with Joe. When the market is this hot, sell it like it is. You may get competitive bidding and even a cash buyer that doesn't notice the roof or is willing to replace themselves. Or you can use the roof as a point of negotiation.

If you install a new roof for $18,000 it will not increase the sales price $18,000. If you reduce the price $18,000 for the roof, they may still come back and ask for new flooring, or updated plumbing, or whatever. I recommend you wait and see what happens, then negotiate replacement from there. Besides, that lets the buyer choose the color and keep the warranty.