Ask About the Roof Before You Fall for the Kitchen

Hurricane Isaias came ashore near Destin on October 9 as a Category 2 storm, and by that Friday night roughly 192,000 Alabama customers were without power. Here in Mobile and Baldwin County, it left trees and power lines down, with the worst damage to our east. But if you're shopping for a home right now, the storm handed you a better question list than any open house ever will.

At Perch & Oak, we tell buyers the same thing every fall: the kitchen is what you fall for, but the roof is what you pay for every month.

Why the roof matters more at 7.3%

Freddie Mac's October 22 survey put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.32%, down from 7.40% a week earlier, and the Federal Reserve's next rate decision lands October 28. You can't do much about either one. What you can influence is insurance, and on the Gulf Coast the roof drives a big share of it.

• Fortified homes: Alabama has more than 68,000 IBHS Fortified designations within ten miles of the coast, according to the Alabama Department of Insurance
• Coastal discount: up to 35% off the wind portion of your premium on a Fortified home
• Inland discount: up to 20%, usually applied to the whole premium
• Wind vs. flood: a standard homeowners policy typically covers wind. Flood is a separate policy

The kitchen is what you fall for. The roof is what you pay for every month.

Five questions to ask before you commit

Alabama is generally a "buyer beware" state for previously owned homes, but a seller has to answer a direct question honestly. So ask directly, and ask in writing through your agent.

1. Did this home have any damage from Isaias? If so, what was repaired, who did the work, and are there receipts?
2. Was an insurance claim filed? Ask whether it's open or closed, and whether the work it paid for is finished.
3. Is the roof Fortified? If yes, ask for the certificate. The Department of Insurance says storm repairs on a Fortified roof must be done by a certified Fortified roofer, or the designation may not be renewed.
4. Is the home in a flood zone? That decides whether a lender will require flood insurance, and it's a cost to know on day one.
5. What will insurance actually cost me? Get a real quote during your inspection period, while you still have room to decide. Not after.

If the roof isn't Fortified yet

The Strengthen Alabama Homes program offers grants of up to $10,000 toward a Fortified roof for owner-occupied, single-family primary homes. This fall's application windows opened October 6 for Mobile County and October 8 for Baldwin County, and the program lists quarterly rounds in January, April and July of 2027. You have to own and live in the home to apply, so for a buyer closing this winter, January is the round to circle.

A home that needs a roof isn't automatically a bad buy. It just needs to be priced like one, and our team at Perch & Oak will help you build those numbers into your offer instead of discovering them after closing.

If you're house hunting this fall and want a second set of eyes on the roof, the insurance math and the questions above, book a Home Strategy Consultation. We'll walk it with you before you're committed, not after.

Rates, insurance discounts and grant terms change. Confirm current figures with a lender, an insurance professional and the Strengthen Alabama Homes program. This is not legal or financial advice.

Be Home.
Leslie Davis, AL License #72650
Perch & Oak Property Group