The Roof Line On Your BINSR: How To Handle It Before Close
Underlayment is one of the most commonly flagged roof items in an Arizona home sale. What the BINSR actually requires, and how to price the roof line so escrow does not slip.
September 19, 2026 5 min readPepla Roofing · Phoenix, AZ
The short version
- A BINSR roof item needs a scope and a price, not an opinion — vague findings are what stall escrow.
- Underlayment age is the most common roof item flagged on Valley tile homes.
- An inspection that produces a line-item written scope can be acted on by either party inside the inspection period.
The Buyer's Inspection Notice and Seller's Response is a negotiation document on a clock. When the roof shows up on it, the thing that moves escrow forward is a specific scope with a specific price — not another opinion about the roof's general condition.
What usually gets flagged
- Underlayment age on a tile roof around twenty years old. Extremely common in the Valley and often the whole roof line.
- Flashing and valley metal that was reused on a previous re-roof.
- Broken or slipped tile, which is cheap and fast to fix but reads alarmingly in an inspection report.
- Ponding or blistering on a flat or foam section.
- Prior repairs done with sealant rather than correctly flashed.
What makes a roof line resolvable
A home inspector's report says what they saw. It does not say what the fix costs, and that gap is where deals stall. A roofing inspection during the inspection period should produce photographs of each flagged item, a written scope that prices each one as its own line, and a plain statement of what has life left and what does not.
Timing
The work can often be completed before close of escrow, which is usually what both sides want: the buyer gets a documented new roof system with a transferable workmanship warranty, and the seller gets the item off the table rather than a credit negotiated against a worst-case guess.
Questions people ask
- What is a BINSR in an Arizona home sale?
- The Buyer's Inspection Notice and Seller's Response is the form a buyer uses to notify the seller of items found during the inspection period and to request repairs. It runs on a deadline, which is why specific scopes and prices move it along faster than general opinions.
- What roof items are most often flagged on a BINSR in Phoenix?
- Underlayment age on tile roofs around twenty years old is the most common, followed by reused flashing and valley metal, broken or slipped tile, ponding on flat sections, and prior repairs made with sealant instead of proper flashing.
- Can roof work be completed before close of escrow?
- Often yes, and it is usually what both sides prefer. The buyer gets a documented roof system with a transferable workmanship warranty, and the seller removes the item from negotiation rather than crediting against a worst-case estimate.
- Do I need a roofer's inspection if I already have a home inspection?
- A home inspector reports what they observed; they do not price the remedy. A roofing inspection produces a line-item scope with photographs and costs, which is what the BINSR response actually needs.