The residential roofing market faced some challenges in 2025 following record years of storm activity that didn’t come close to repeating, and an economy slowed by high prices and anemic new construction starts. The workforce also took an unwanted hit as immigration enforcement stepped up under a new administration. Still, homeowners seeking roofs or roofing repairs didn’t seem to feel any repercussions. And roofing contractors benefited from a combination of high retail-reroofing demand and new technologies that helped them make strides in lead generation, estimating, and other tools that improve efficiency. 

Those are just some of the conclusions drawn from new research about homeowners across the country, which will be featured in a high-level presentation live on the IRE show floor. 

RC followed up on its inaugural survey of homeowners across the country with another set of questions to gain insights into the rapidly changing home roofing and restoration market. The effort is an extension of RC’s 2026 State of the Industry Report and featured questions that again focused on homeowner expectations regarding service delivery, contractor technology, sales tactics, and more. In all, the survey is intended to gather information that will better equip roofing contractors with the tools they need to make an impact right away. 

Join RC staff in a presentation on the complete survey’s findings with RC’s research partners from Roofle from 2:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 20, at Booth #5133 on Exteriors Education Stage of the 2026 International Roofing Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center. A report on the full survey will appear in a future edition of RC. In the meantime, here are five highlights roofing contractors will want to learn more about from the most recent RC homeowner survey.

• Shingles Still Dominate: Nearly 69% of homeowners surveyed said they currently have asphalt shingles on their roofs. 
• Solar Fades but Isn’t Dead: Only 9% of respondents said they currently have solar panels, but roughly 55% said they’re interested in either solar-mounted panels (35%) or solar roof tiles (20%). About 50% said they’re not interested in solar products at all.
• High Expectations: Homeowners expect roofing work to start within two weeks of accepting a quote. Contractors surveyed appear aligned, with 88% beginning jobs within two weeks. 
• Word-of-Mouth Wins: Homeowners said that word of mouth remains their chief way to find roofing contractors (74%), followed by repeat business with contractors they know (62%) and online search engines (54%). 
• Is the Price Right? Nearly two-thirds (65%) indicated they’re more likely to call a roofing contractor that has transparent pricing on the company website. 

Research partners from Roofle will also use the data points to provide insights into how homeowners find and choose roofing contractors, and the importance of real-time responses and pricing to homeowner preferences. In addition, the experts will break down the reactions, highlighting generational differences impacting the industry today and in the future. Among the goals of the research is to offer a comprehensive overview of the changing homeowner-contractor dynamic in the roofing process. 

“As we see in the results every year, homeowners continue to grow more sophisticated and demanding in what they expect from roofing contractors,” said RC Publisher Jill Bloom. “The challenge for roofers is determining how to try and meet those heightened expectations while keeping up with everything else happening in the industry right now.” 

WHAT YOU WILL GET

• A better understanding of homeowner expectations for residential roofing contractors when it comes to the overall experience of purchasing a roof.
• Data-driven insight into where those expectations align with roofing contractors –and where they don’t.
• Market insight related to current and future trends in residential roofing.
• Exclusive viewpoints into current and future growth opportunities for contractors.
• Understanding what factors influence the contractor-selection process.
• Ideas to improve customer communication and operational efficiency that grow profits.