If you know little to nothing about roofing, you’re not alone. If you own a home, however, you need to be educated quickly. A roof that needs repairs can cause bad damage to your home. This article is filled with useful tips you need to know about if you are a homeowner.

You shouldn’t put off replacing shingles. You might think it’s wise to wait on fixing something, however, the damage will just get worse in time. Taking care of problems with the shingles immediately will help you to save more money and a lot of problems down the road. If you take care of your roof, it will take care of you.

Mow your lawn the day before your roof is replaced. That way, you are more likely to be able to locate fallen nails. If your roofer has a magnetic nail locator, short grass will make things much easier.

Turn down offers made using pressure tactics. Roofers who try to sell their product this way are not people you want to deal with. Such shysters can be very aggressive, so do what is necessary to shut them down.

You never want to pay for everything upfront if it isn’t necessary. A 25% deposit is typical, but you shouldn’t pay anything over that until the work is completed. It would be horrible if they did bad work or didn’t do everything you thought they would.

Speak with your contractor about what is offered in their warranty. Some contractors might offer better deals than others. Additionally, you should be sure you get a written copy of the warranty at the same time you receive the estimate so that you’ll have the documentation on-hand. This way, you won’t have any term disagreements when the job is finished.

You can check a possible roof leak with a water hose. This will not only help you determine whether or not there is a leak, but also where that leak is located. This is more cost effective than hiring a professional.

Hire only roofing professionals able to show proof of insurance and necessary licenses. Do not hire them if they do not have this information. This is because you won’t have any recourse if their workmanship isn’t up to par and it ends up causing your home to have thousands of dollars in damages.

Don’t forget the little things when hiring a contractor. A roofer that is punctual is one that you can depend on. Also, they are probably professional if they provide you with a typed bid. Your contractor should do both these things. Otherwise, find another contractor.

If you’re having a custom roof installed, ask the contractor if they have experience doing what you want done. If they don’t have much experience with that specific type of roof, then you need a different contractor. You sure don’t want to take chances like that when it pertains to your roof.

Don’t verbally agree to a contract; get a written one. Many times people enter into verbal contracts with roofers, and they end up having issues if the work is not done correctly. You must have everything in writing.

Ask loved ones for recommendations on a roofer. When it comes to hiring a good contractor, word of mouth can be a valuable tool. If you have hired any residential contractors for other jobs, they may also have a good recommendation available. If anything, you should be pointed towards what you should be looking for after asking.

When you are in search of a good contractor, make sure he or she provides you with an outline of the project. Speak about the products and techniques that he will be using. Ask questions if you don’t understand something the roofer says. If your contractor will,not provide specifics, you might want to consider working with someone else.

Do not assume you need a new roof. Instead, call a reliable and trustworthy professional to examine your roof before forking over the money for a new roof. Too often, consumers simply pay for a brand new roof when all that was needed were a few minor repairs.

Not all roofing contractors are good workers, so choose wisely. Do not pick someone based on their advertisement. Word-of-mouth is one of the best methods of advertisement. Look for reviews online, or talk to people you know. What do local business groups think of the roofer? Hiring a sub-par contractor may cost you a whole lot of money.

Think about how old your roof is, to know whether you need to have it replace or just get a repair. This is the chief determining factor of when to make changes to your roof. Most roofs will last between 15 and 20 years and if your roof is within this range it’s time for an upgrade.

When you’re speaking with people that may be working on your roof for you, you need to see what kind of workload they’re currently working with. Find out how many employees will be fixing your roof and ask about a time frame. How many employees work at the company? If a company is working several project at the same time and does not maintain enough employees, it will have trouble finishing a job on time.

You may not have known a lot about roofs before reading this article. After reading this article, you should be confident in your ability to select a roofer or maintain and repair a roof on your own. Remember that you have to keep your roof maintained so that you’re sure your home and family are safe.