Not a contractor. Lead referral platform covering Portland's 10 deepest cost markets.
SHOULD I REPLACE BEFORE I SELL?
Your roof will be at end of life at sale. PDX buyer's inspectors will flag this; 23% of Portland deals include roofing contingencies that result in $4,000-$12,000 in negotiation credits.
Replacement now recovers ~55% in resale plus avoids inspection-driven price reduction. Net impact $-3,809 understates the case, actual value preservation is higher when accounting for avoided contingency.
ROI CALCULATOR QUESTIONS
Why are Portland recovery percentages higher than national averages?
National Association of Realtors cost-vs-value reports show 60% national average recovery on roof replacement; Portland metro typically lands 58-72% depending on neighborhood and material. The premium is partly Portland's home-value appreciation, partly the high incidence of roof contingencies in PDX transactions (23% of deals include them, vs 14% national average) — buyers will negotiate hard on aging roofs, so replacement before listing genuinely preserves sale value.
Why does the calculator recommend replacing for roofs only 60% through their life?
It doesn't — for a typical hold scenario. The recommendation depends on years to sale plus current age. A 15-year-old roof with a 2-year sale horizon has 17 years total at sale (about 70% of life). The calculator typically says "keep it" in this scenario. The "replace before listing" recommendation triggers when ageAtSale exceeds about 80% of expected life, where buyer inspection contingencies become high-probability.
What does "23% of PDX deals include roofing contingencies" actually mean?
About one in four Portland real estate transactions has a buyer's inspection contingency that flags the roof, requiring either seller credit, replacement before close, or contingency negotiation that delays/kills the deal. Portland's aging housing stock plus aggressive buyer-inspector culture makes this materially more common than national average. Past-end-of-life roofs effectively guarantee contingency triggers — replacement removes the risk entirely.
How does the calculator estimate replacement cost?
Roughly, based on home value as a proxy for square footage. For more accurate estimates, use our Roof Cost Calculator which takes actual sq ft + material + pitch + age. The ROI calculator uses approximate cost to keep the input simple — the recommendation logic is robust to ±20% cost variance.
Should I get metal instead of asphalt before selling?
Generally no, unless your home is in a market where metal is heavily favored (West Hills, Lake Oswego high-end). Metal recovers a lower percentage of premium in resale than the recovery calculation assumes — buyers pay for the new roof, not the metal premium specifically. For quick-sale scenarios (1-3 years), architectural asphalt at premium tier (CertainTeed Landmark Pro, GAF Timberline UHDZ) usually delivers better dollar-recovery than metal upgrade.