Full Episode Transcript

Roofing Talks Episode 2: Real Estate Transactions, Property Managers, and HOAs
Host: John May, General Manager, Petrali Roofing
Guest: Dan Carlson, Senior Roof Consultant, Petrali Roofing

 

Introduction

Hey, this is John, General Manager here at Petrali Roofing. This is our second episode of Roofing Talks and I am very excited about today’s episode. We’re really big on education here at Petrali Roofing and we want our customers and our community to be more informed about roofing in general.

Today I’m excited to introduce Dan Carlson. He is a Senior Roof Consultant here at Petrali Roofing. We’re going to talk about lots of different topics today, mostly revolving around property management companies and realtors. Dan has a lot of experience in this world. Even if you aren’t a realtor or property manager, you’ll probably buy or sell a home at some point, or work with a property management company, so this will be useful. Dan, welcome.

Dan: Thank you.

 

Meet Dan Carlson, Senior Roof Consultant

John: Dan, tell us a little about your experience in roofing and at Petrali Roofing.

Dan: I started with Petrali Roofing in 2016. I grew up in construction doing remodels and foreclosure work. I knew the Petrali’s as family friends and was looking for work and originally approached them thinking I’d be installing roofs. But what they really needed was roofing consulting, sales, that side of the business.

I immediately thought sales was not for me. I don’t like selling and I don’t like being sold. But because of the relationship, they encouraged me to try, and I started in 2016.

That year we had a big storm in Stetson Hills, so it was the school of hard knocks, being thrown into it. I’ve been with Petrali since then, and March will mark 10 years with the family and the business.

John: Excellent! That’s excellent!

 

Selling vs. Consulting

John: I love that you called it consulting. Before we jump into the main topics, talk about selling versus consulting. How does that play out for you?

Dan: That’s important to me. I’ve been extremely blessed with Petrali as a Roof Consultant; It’s been a huge blessing for my family. This job works for me because I don’t approach it as sales. When I try to sell somebody something, I’m not being authentic, and I don’t like selling people something they don’t need.

So I focus on being authentic, telling the truth, and helping people. In Colorado Springs, probably 95% of our work is storm-related, hail and wind. When I meet with people, I’m communicating a path forward, helping them through the claim process, and informing them about what’s best for their situation.

Every situation is different, so I try to navigate it with them and help them understand the best next steps. People sense that, and I believe that trust is why they choose us.

I also don’t try to “close” people. Some say if you don’t get a contract on the first meeting you lose your chance, but for me this works because I can consult and be honest. We win some and lose some, but this approach matches who I am.

John: That’s the heart of our sales team. We’re not trying to force anyone to sign anything. We want to help our community make informed decisions. Roofing is expensive, and homeowners need to understand what they’re signing up for.

Alright, let’s get into today’s topics.

 

Roofing in Real Estate Transactions: Keeping the Closing On-Track

John: Dan has worked with homeowners, but also a lot with realtors and property management companies. When you get contacted by a realtor and someone’s buying or selling a home, what does that usually look like? How do you interact with the homeowners?

Dan: Most of the time it’s a real estate transaction. A home inspection happened and there was storm damage reported, or concerns like an older roof or shingle issues. We get contacted by the buyer or seller to confirm or investigate further.

In real estate transactions, time is everything. We prioritize those inspections quickly, assess the roof, document everything, and provide feedback to the buyer or seller, depending on who we’re working with.

One of our goals is to keep the closing on track. Nobody wants money sitting in escrow waiting for a roof. If we can, we prioritize installs to get everything done before closing. Sometimes weather or circumstances affect timelines, but we help navigate it. I’ve been through hundreds of real estate transactions, and we do everything we can to help both buyers and sellers.

John: How do you handle estimating and the financial side with multiple parties involved? Also, communication like shingle type, color, and product options.

Dan: It depends on whether we’re on the buyer side or seller side. If the buyer brings us in, a lot of times we don’t do the work because the seller already has someone. If we’re chosen, we contract with the seller and then work with both sides.

If the seller allows the buyer to choose shingle color and options, we coordinate that. For cash deals with no insurance, it’s usually straightforward.

In most cases, the title company wants invoices paid in full by closing. We generally don’t hold up the job for a deposit in these situations because we want the closing to stay on track. With management approval, we often move forward without deposits to help keep things moving.

If insurance is involved, it can slow things down because we have to involve the insurance company. We educate the homeowner on how to file the claim, help expedite the inspection, and meet the adjuster when possible. Even then, sometimes there’s a supplement process for things not discoverable on inspection or missed items. We stay proactive and communicate clearly with the seller’s agent, buyer’s agent, seller, and buyer so everyone stays aligned.

These jobs are stressful for homeowners. We don’t want to gum up the gears, we want to smooth them out.

John: We take these seriously and we prioritize them. We’ve seen roofs go on in a week, sometimes even days. If you’re in that scenario, call us. We’ll work to make it happen and keep the process smooth.

 

Property Inspection Program: Working with PMs, Tenants, & Property Owners

John: Now let’s talk property management companies. There’s nuance with the property manager, the homeowner, and the tenant. What do those conversations look like?

Dan: We’re relationship-based. With property managers and realtors, the relationship is more ongoing because they have recurring needs.

I love working with property managers. We’ve created a program called the Property Inspection Program (PIP). It’s basically putting structure and a name to what we’ve been doing for years.

When we partner with a property management company, we often review their entire portfolio. I’ve gotten lists of 100 to 300 properties and systematically inspected every roof to provide an overall portfolio roof inspection. A lot of roofs aren’t looked at unless there’s a leak.

Statistically, if I inspect 100 roofs, roughly 30% need attention, repairs, or even full replacements due to hail. That matters because insurance carriers often only give you a certain amount of time to file a claim after a date of loss.

We’ve seen cases where a roof has significant hail damage but it’s been 24 months since the last recorded hail event, and the homeowner is now outside the claim window. They might want to sell but now they have to pay for the roof out of pocket because the timeline passed.

Tenants often don’t report hail because it’s not leaking and we get hail frequently in Colorado. But lack of leaks doesn’t mean no hail damage.

So we assess the portfolio to prevent undiscovered damage. That helps property managers and owners understand the condition of their roofs going into hail season and protect their investment.

After that, we stay in an active relationship. When storms hit specific zip codes, we notify the property manager, they send properties in that area, we coordinate with tenants, inspect, document, and report back. Many owners do not live in Colorado Springs, so photos and documentation are critical.

John: If you’re a property manager or real estate investor with a portfolio, you need a roofer because time matters with insurance claims. If you miss those windows, that can be thousands of dollars out of pocket. Give us a call about our PIP program. We do it for residential and commercial.

Dan: And that’s not fear tactics, it’s reality. I see people every year who waited too long. I’m working with someone right now who had the same insurance company for 22 years, never filed a claim, they didn’t have leaks and thought everything looked fine from the ground. Now the roof is at end-of-life and leaking, and the insurance company may not cover it because the last recorded hail storm is outside the claim timeline.

Even if there is coverage, older roofs may not get full replacement cost value. For example, on a $15,000 roof, they might only get $4,000 before the deductible, which effectively leaves them with little to nothing.

Anytime you get significant hail, it’s smart to have a roofer inspect. If you’re unsure, have Petrali inspect. We’ll tell you if there’s damage or not. Free inspection, no obligation.

If you wait until it leaks, you’ve waited too long and now you’re risking interior damage.

 

Working with Homeowners Associations

John: What about HOAs? Townhomes, neighborhoods, condo communities, what do you recommend?

Dan: Always contact your HOA. They usually want a shingle sample or color selection for approval. Some HOAs can be particular, but it’s manageable. It can be a timing issue, especially during hail season, sometimes it takes weeks depending on the HOA.

We can walk you through it, and if you want, we can submit the information to the HOA for you.

Condos tend to be more involved because there’s a board and often it’s larger-scale, sometimes community-wide. It comes down to clear communication and following the proper steps.

 

Wrapping it All Up

John: Dan, this was great. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. If you’re buying or selling a home, own a rental property, or manage properties, we’d be happy to help you navigate the process, including insurance.

The roof is one of the most important parts of your home. We want to be your roofer in the Pikes Peak Region. Call 719-375-8773 to schedule your free inspection today.