Hail season in Colorado runs from April through September with June and August typically being the months of the biggest hailstorms. Whenever we have hail along the Front Range, roofing companies send out their door-to-door salespeople en masse. Other words for these professionals are canvassers or direct salespeople. In the roofing business, we call them door knockers.
While most car and home owners dread hail season, people employed in the roofing profession are waiting all year for hail to hit. This is the time of year when they make money to feed their families. They have software that alerts them to the time of a hailstorm, the size of the hail, how long it hailed, and the exact location where it hailed. They immediately send out their salespeople to the areas that were hit. Homeowners in the areas where hail was reported may experience dozens of salespeople knocking on their door over the period of a month or more. It can get really annoying to have persistent salespeople interrupting you at all hours.
As a home owner, you are likely also concerned about the condition of your roof after a hailstorm strikes. You may welcome the first salesperson who knocks on your door with relief that someone is here to help. Almost every roofing salesperson will offer you a free roof inspection. Although their approach might seem helpful at first glance, inviting these sales-driven strangers onto your roof can cause more harm than good. This blog post explores the potential pitfalls and implications of letting professionals you don’t know into and onto your most valuable asset: your home after a hailstorm
Who You’re Dealing With
You might feel presently surprised to have a supposed expert appear on your doorstep within hours of a hailstorm. While you may think that this person who knocked on your door is probably more qualified than you are to assess damage to your roof after a hailstorm, that might be a mistake. Door knockers are first and foremost salespeople. Salespeople are typically charismatic people who are good at gaining trust in order to make the sale. Their goal is not to assess the condition of your roof after a hailstorm. Their motivation is to sell you the most expensive roof repair they think they can manage.
Some door knockers are traveling salespeople from out of state. If the state they live in hasn’t had hail yet, they will come to the Denver Metro Area – specifically to your home where they know there is greater potential to make money. Roofing canvassers are rarely trained roof inspectors or licensed contractors. They may not know anything about roofs beyond buzz words.
Safety First: Protecting Yourself
A significant issue when it comes to letting anyone on your property, inside your home, or onto your roof is liability. When someone who is not covered by proper insurance steps onto your property, you open yourself up to potential legal ramifications. These people aren’t just walking on your sidewalk. They are getting on a ladder to get on your roof. Imagine a person who may not even be a contractor scaling a ladder and navigating your roof for the first time post-storm. Lack of knowledge and experience increases the risk of falls and injuries for which you might be liable. You could find yourself facing a lawsuit or increased insurance premiums.
The Sales Pitch and Conflict of Interest
Traveling salespeople are not objective experts—they’re representatives for repair companies or product suppliers with a vested interest in making a sale. Their primary goal is to convince you that immediate repairs, often expensive ones, are absolutely necessary. While some hailstorm damage does indeed require prompt attention, many times what appears to be urgent may simply be superficial damage that could be monitored over time. A door knocker’s pitch might add unnecessary urgency to an issue that requires a careful, measured approach.
Salesmen tend to use high-pressure tactics, promising limited-time discounts or even offering to waive or rebate your insurance deductible which is illegal in Colorado per C.R.S. 6-22-101c. In many cases, the repairs they advocate are far more expensive than those that will be covered by your insurance company per the insurance adjuster’s review. You may be trusting your roof’s evaluation to someone who is new to the roofing industry, doesn’t know if you have enough justifiable damage to call in an insurance claim, or can’t spot issues that just need a basic repair to prevent leaking instead of a full roof replacement. As a homeowner trying to navigate the emotional and financial turmoil after a storm, succumbing to this pressure can lead to overspending on repairs that are later revealed to be unnecessary or subpar.
The Hidden Costs
Beyond the immediate financial outlay, permitting salespeople to access your roof for inspections introduces hidden costs that might not be immediately evident. One such cost is the potential for unnecessary upgrades. Often, traveling salespeople are affiliated with companies that offer “common sense” packages which bundle various repairs and upgrades together. While some of these may address genuine issues, others might push upgrades that inflate your repair bill unnecessarily.
Such packages might include premium roofing materials or additional accessories that you don’t need, all under the guise of future-proofing your home. Later, you might discover that these up-sells are more about generating profit for the company than about ensuring the longevity of your roof. This can drain your finances without necessarily improving your home’s safety or functionality.
The Psychological Pressure of Post-Storm Vulnerability
After a hailstorm, many homeowners experience a heightened sense of vulnerability. The emotional toll of dealing with unexpected damage can cloud your judgment, making you more susceptible to persuasive, high-pressure sales tactics. The traveling salesman exploits this vulnerability; by overstating the risks and uncertainties associated with the damage, they create a scenario where you feel compelled to act immediately and decisively—often without reaching out to trusted professionals or obtaining second opinions.
This psychological pressure can lead to hasty decisions. In the aftermath of a disaster, it’s natural to want a quick fix or a rapid return to normalcy. However, money spent on expedient but ill-advised repairs can lead to regret when you’re billed for expensive services that were either unnecessary or performed later by a more qualified contractor at a lower cost.
A Real-World Scenario: The Costly Aftermath
Consider the story of one homeowner, let’s call her Sarah, who experienced a severe hailstorm. In the immediate chaos following the storm, Sarah was approached by multiple salespeople who knocked on her door and offered free roof inspections. Feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and annoyed, she allowed one of the salespeople onto her roof for an assessment.
The salesman, using a cursory glance from the top of the roof, insisted that Sarah needed an immediate, extensive repair package that included a full roof replacement and additional gutter upgrades. Succumbing to the pressure and not wanting to wait, Sarah signed a contract and paid a significant deposit. Only later, after filing an insurance claim and having an insurance adjuster look at her roof, did she discover that the damage was much more limited than described. Not only did she pay far more than necessary, but the hasty repairs also voided part of her insurance claim, leaving her with a huge financial burden. Sarah’s story is a stark reminder of how critical it is to rely on certified professionals rather than opportunistic salespeople in the wake of storm damage.
The Role of Local, Licensed, Insured, Referred Professionals
What should a homeowner do instead of signing a contract with a door-to-door salesperson? Our advice is to contact your insurance agent and ask them for their preferred roofers. Most insurance agents will give you a list of three professionals they know and trust that you can call to come look at your roof. You may want to contact all of the names on the list provided by your insurance agent or just one or two of the professional roofers.
Local roofing companies often have established relationships with your insurance agent and understand the specific weather patterns and city codes. They can offer insights that a traveling salesperson, with their generic solutions and wide canvas of “one-size-fits-all” fixes, simply cannot. We are licensed and insured, so it’s safe to let us on your roof. If you have any leaking from the hailstorm, we will be happy to do a repair for you until the process with your insurance company can be sorted.
Why Use Advocate Construction
We have been in business in the Front Range since 2012. At Advocate Construction, all of our salespeople are also project managers and maintain their insurance adjuster license. They have not only book smarts about roofs from taking the extensive insurance adjuster exam; they also have field experience being on lots of different types of roofs throughout the Denver Metro Area. They can tell you if you have enough damage on your roof to file an insurance claim. We do not provide price quotes because we do all of our repairs at the price your insurance company will pay. If insurance doesn’t cover your roof, you don’t owe us anything.
Our contracts explicitly state that it is illegal to pay, waive, or rebate all or part of an insurance deductible relating to an insurance claim. Our aim is to educate you rather than sell you a roof. We want to advocate for you throughout the insurance process. We can provide you with a quote if you are not going through insurance. All of our work is covered by a labor warranty.
Conclusion: Protect Your Home by Making Informed Decisions
In the wake of a hailstorm, when emotions are high and there is pressure to make quick decisions, it can be tempting to listen to anyone who seems to be a representative of a roofing company or sign a contract with a door knocker to prevent future door-to-door salespeople from knocking on your door. Traveling salespeople, with their engaging pitches and promises of rapid repairs, prey on this vulnerable period. However, allowing these sales-driven visitors onto your roof can lead to a cascade of problems—from inaccurate damage assessments and costly overhauls to personal injury and insurance claim complications.
By choosing to rely on local professionals who are referred to you, you ensure that the evaluation of your roofing damage is both objective and comprehensive. Protecting your roof—and by extension, your home—requires a careful balance of timely action and measured response. Your roof isn’t just an array of shingles; it’s a critical investment in your safety, security, and peace of mind. Getting the right professional is not merely a luxury—it’s a necessity.
As you work to rebuild and restore in the aftermath of a storm, take the time to research certified local experts who understand both the technical aspects and the subtleties of hail damage. Remember that the best course of action is informed, cautious decision-making—one that preserves the long-term integrity of your home while steering clear of high-pressure sales tactics. Protect your future by giving your roof the professional attention it deserves and ensure that every repair and evaluation is handled with the expertise that only qualified professionals can provide.