Ask Each Roofer Who Gets Paid When You Sign

When a roofer comes to measure your house, you are probably talking to the person who will shape your bid. That person may also be paid on whether you sign. Some roofing companies pay salespeople a commission on each contract, some pay a flat fee, and some pay no extra amount for a sale. Commission pay is a common arrangement in sales, and it is not a problem on its own. What it changes is how a visit feels and what gets said at the kitchen table. The question worth asking is simple, and it is the same for every company on your list: who gets paid if you sign, and how much.

Roofer comparison

Put the pay question next to the other things you are comparing. Two bids can have the same square count, the same shingle line and the same start window, yet one was written by a person paid per signed contract and the other by an estimator on salary. The paper looks alike. The incentives do not. A commission does not make a bid wrong, but it means the number on the page was shaped by someone who benefits from a yes, and you should know that before you compare totals.

A salaried estimator and a commission seller can write the same number for different reasons. The estimator has no stake in the close, so the bid may come with more caveats and fewer surprises. The commission seller has a stake in the close, so the bid may come with a clean front page and a quicker answer. Neither arrangement settles the question by itself. Read the proposal against the photos and the measurements, then decide which kind of bid you are looking at.

Ask each roofer the same two questions in the same words. First, is the person who measured my roof or wrote this proposal paid anything that depends on whether I sign? Second, if yes, is that payment a percentage of the contract, a flat amount, or a bonus for a closing rate? Write down the answers next to the bid. A company that answers in one sentence and puts the answer in writing has given you something you can check. A company that talks around the question has given you a reason to slow down.

Pay attention to who is standing in front of you. A salesperson who also climbs the roof and walks the yard may know your home well. A salesperson who only visits, measures and leaves may not know who will be on the ladder in three weeks. Ask whether the person who signs the contract is the same person who will be on site on roof day. If not, ask for the name of the foreman, and ask whether that foreman has any role in the sale. Each roofer's answer tells you how much of the bid rests on one person's commission and how much rests on the crew.

Note the timing too. Some companies pay a commission on the signed contract amount, which means a larger scope pays the salesperson more. Others pay when the job is completed, which is less likely to push a large number. Neither is a verdict on the company. Both are facts you should have before you decide which bid to trust.

What it costs

Commission is not usually a separate line on a roof bid. It sits inside the price, in the margin the company keeps after materials, labor and overhead. That is why you cannot find it by reading the proposal. The only way to learn whether it is in your number is to ask, and to ask how the number was built. If a roofer says the price includes sales compensation, you are paying for the visit, the proposal and the sale, not just the roof. That is not a reason to refuse. It is a reason to ask whether the bid still carries the scope you need.

When you compare two totals, look for places where a commission could show up as thinner work rather than a higher price. A bid with a lower total can still omit the drip edge, the starter course, the pipe boot collars or the ridge vent that another bid lists separately. A salesperson paid on the close has a reason to keep the first page short. Read each proposal line by line against the same list of items. If one bid is lower and shorter, the savings may not be savings at all.

A written scope with photos and measurements makes this easier. Keys Roofing puts a written scope with photos and measurements in the homeowner's hands, so you can compare what is included rather than trusting how the visit felt. Ask any roofer, Keys included, for the same written scope and the same material list before you make a decision. If a company will not put its scope on paper, the commission question is harder to settle, and the price is harder to compare.

What to ask

Start with the commission question, then move to the questions that test the paperwork. Ask who wrote the proposal, who measured the roof, and who will supervise the crew. Ask whether the sales contact can change the scope or price after the visit, and who approves a change. Ask what the company does if you want to cancel after the order is placed. Each answer tells you who is responsible for the number on the page.

Ask for the shingle line by name. Keys installs Atlas and Malarkey shingles only, so a Keys proposal should name one of those lines and the color you chose. If another roofer quotes a different brand, ask whether the same product is being compared in each bid, and ask for the spec sheet. Comparing a commission-driven price on one brand against a plain price on another is not a fair comparison, and the spec sheet is where you find out.

Ask about the phone. Each roofer should give you a number that reaches someone who knows the job, and a name for the person who answers when the crew is on the roof. Keys Roofing can be reached at (314) 220-2333. Call that office, call the number on every other bid, and see who picks up and what they know about your house. A salesperson who disappears after the signature is a different situation from a project lead who answers the phone the next morning.

Finally, ask each roofer to put the answer to the commission question in an email or on the proposal itself. A company that is comfortable with the question will not mind writing it down. Missouri does not issue a state roofing license, so the paperwork you hold is the record you have. Keep the answers with the bid, and read them again before you sign.