You’ve got a lot of decisions to make as an investor flipping houses. One of the biggest decisions is whether to replace a property’s roof and which roofing material to use. Your roofing choice is more important than you might initially believe for achieving your desired profit on the flip side.
According to research by Roofer Digest and Angi, opting for metal roofing can add up to $25,000 or more to a home’s value thanks to the product’s durability, low maintenance, and curb appeal. This guide provides four top reasons why a metal roof should be at the top of your list when a roof remodel is called for, including:
- Boosting the property’s value for higher profitability
- The benefits of metal roofing for ease of installation
- Why metal roofing satisfies buyer demand for sustainability
- How curb appeal can be improved with metal roofing
Resale Value and Increased Profitability
House flippers aim to maximize profits when renovating homes. You can achieve this through two key paths: increasing the property’s value and completing the job quickly. We talk about efficient roof remodeling in the section below. But first, let’s look more closely at how to boost a house’s sale price for your bottom line.
High-End and Turnkey Properties Dominate Sales
Assessing the real estate market, especially in competitive, higher-priced areas like California, requires a big-picture view. Even when total sales in a region dip, median prices can rise, so home flippers should, when possible, focus on high-end and luxury homes.
Those homes should, in turn, reflect the quality buyers expect, such as durable metal roofing that lasts at least twice as long as other materials and offers superior weather resistance. When sales of $1 million plus homes are growing faster than lower-priced properties, it’s time to look at how to command that price point.
In addition to high-end homes, move-in-ready properties are hot now, too. There’s more on this topic in the next few paragraphs, but know that buyers are shying away from fixer-uppers and, according to Zillow, are willing to pay $13,000 more for a turnkey property. Some have “renovation fatigue,” especially after the pandemic, when so many homeowners began remodeling projects. And there are also concerns about labor availability and supply chain delays in 2026.
Big-Ticket Surprises Kill Deals…And Profits
If you’ve flipped enough houses, you’ve probably run into a scenario where a faulty major element in a home nixed the deal with a potential buyer. There aren’t that many property components that can do that, but a bad furnace, foundation, electrical system, or roof that wasn’t replaced during the flip will either kill the offer entirely or lower your profit through a contingency that ultimately reduces the sale price.
It pays to take care of these issues before listing the property to avoid unpleasant surprises after an offer is made. You could disclose that the house needs a new roof, for example, but that scares off many buyers who don’t want to deal with remodeling after they close.
Margins on house flips are notoriously tight, given the pressure to turn the property over as quickly as possible and the costs required to make a reasonable profit. And those margins are getting tighter according to ATTOM’s 2025 home flipping report, with both flipping in general and ROI dropping to a new low that hasn’t been seen since 2008.
Do you have a time buffer if a buyer wants a new roof after an inspection reveals the current one is subpar? Most flippers don’t. They don’t have the bandwidth to search for roofing credits and contractors on the spot, so it makes sense to complete the roof remodel early in the renovation process, when it’s less disruptive and costly. If you choose metal roofing, you receive the benefits outlined above and below, making your property more attractive to buyers.
Metal Roofing Yields Owner Financial Benefits
When you appeal to your buyers’ bank accounts, you can also build your own. Touting the financial advantages of metal roofing can help secure a sale. These include:
- Getting 40-70 years of use out of one roof
- Reduced insurance claims thanks to durability
- Potential for insurance discounts
- Savings of up to 25% on summer cooling
- Higher property value for equity or resale
If you choose the right metal roofing brand, your lifetime warranty will also transfer to the new owner.
Year-Round, Easier Installation
Many home flippers choose asphalt shingles because they’re, frankly, a cheaper option, and virtually every roofing contractor knows how to install them. However, asphalt shingles have several drawbacks that should be carefully considered.
First, they don’t offer the longevity of metal roofing, and few have the weather resistance discussed above either. Asphalt roofing also doesn’t provide owners with the energy efficiency or eco-friendliness outlined in the section below. These factors are important for buyers.
But for you, the property flipper, there are additional negatives to asphalt shingles. They can only be installed within a narrow window of outdoor temperatures, limiting their use in northern climates to late spring, mild summer days, and early fall. On the other hand, metal roofing can be installed year-round. If you get the opportunity to flip a property in, say, the Northeast during winter, you don’t have to wait on a roof remodel to put it on the market.
Even better, metal roofing can often be installed directly over asphalt shingles. This is known as a roof-over, rather than the traditional tear-down required with some other roofing materials. Provided there aren’t too many layers of shingles already in place, and the project meets local building codes, this can speed up your renovation timeline while also saving on labor, materials, and disposal costs.
Growing Buyer Focus on Energy Efficiency and Sustainability
Recent surveys show that home buyers are increasingly concerned with the energy efficiency and sustainability of the properties they consider, and these two factors are often intertwined.
Some of the most important concerns include:
- Green home features that lower energy use for heating and cooling
- Ability of the home to handle the installation of solar panels
- Financial incentives (tax credits, rebates, etc.) for sustainable features
- Resistance to weather issues related to area climate risk
- Potential to recycle the roofing material after its normal lifespan
More than half of agents in a 2025 National Association of Realtors report said showcasing a home’s energy efficiency added value to the listing.
Metal roofing definitely has multiple advantages in this category:
- It can reduce warm-weather cooling costs by up to 25% by reflecting rather than absorbing the sun’s rays.
- It’s lightweight yet sturdy, capable of handling heavy snowfall and the additional weight of solar panels.
- It is a more sustainable option, as the steel can be recycled when removed during a roof remodel.
- In addition to being resistant to rain, wind, and hail, it is noncombustible, allowing it to achieve a higher fire rating.
Enhanced Curb Appeal in Competitive Markets
If you’re flipping a property in an area that’s the least bit competitive, you want to attract lots of potential buyers, which in turn helps you command the highest possible selling price. The home needs to look attractive from the curb; an instant positive first impression is essential. In fact, this is an advantage no matter what market you’re in.
The best metal roofing today is not just practical, it’s also beautiful. In case you’re still thinking of old-fashioned standing seam or corrugated metal roofing from the past, you should know that metal roofing now comes in a variety of profiles. You’ll find options stamped to look like conventional asphalt shingles, clay tiles, or wood shakes, to match any home style or comply with HOA regulations. The stone coating allows you to choose from a range of hues to coordinate with different paint colors, resulting in a magazine-worthy finish.
Make the Most of Your Next House Flip with DECRA
When you’re ready to install metal roofing on your next reno, DECRA stone-coated metal roofing should be at the top of your list. You get all the benefits reviewed above and more to help you get the most from your investment.
Want to see what DECRA would look like on your project? Use our handy online visualization tool, and you’ll see exactly what buyers will see, too, with your finished home.
