What do you do when a storm damages your roof and you don’t know where to turn?
Whether you’re a first-time homeowner or a seasoned investor, today’s episode delivers essential insight into how to protect your home—and your peace of mind.
This week, Corwyn J. Melette sits down with Gyner Ozgul, President & CEO of RAFTRx, a private-equity-backed re-roofing company based in Duluth, Georgia. Gyner shares how his company steps in when homeowners are at their most vulnerable—navigating insurance claims after unexpected damage—and offers a dependable, long-term solution in a space often plagued by fly-by-night contractors.
Gyner, an immigrant son and passionate entrepreneur, opens up about the deeper purpose behind Raptor APS: protecting people and property through integrity, advocacy, and an honest approach to restoration.
🎯 Key Takeaways:
- 4:29 – How Raptor bridges the gap between homeowners and insurance adjusters.
- 6:11 – Why your roof is the most important part of your home.
- 7:03 – Insurance confusion? Raptor steps in as your advocate.
- 9:05 – Fly-by-night contractors vs. Raptor’s lasting value and integrity.
- 10:23 – Why reliable roofers help not just homeowners, but insurance companies too.
- 10:49 – Don’t just look for the cheapest policy—look for proper coverage.
- 20:18 – Gyner is public on LinkedIn—feel free to connect or reach out for a conversation.
- 20:54 – His #1 advice: maintain your roof—clear gutters, get yearly inspections, catch issues early.
- 21:30 – A $300 repair today can save you a $15,000 roof replacement down the line.
Don’t wait until a storm hits—prepare now.
Whether you’re buying your first home, managing investment properties, or maintaining the one you’ve had for years, protecting your roof is essential. Tune in to hear how Gyner and his team make that easier for you.
Connect with Gyner Ozgul @:
- Website: https://raftrxroofing.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gynerozgul
Connect with Corwyn @:
- Contact Number: 843-619-3005
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exitstrategiesradioshow/
- FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/exitstrategiessc/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxoSuynJd5c4qQ_eDXLJaZA
- Website: https://www.exitstrategiesradioshow.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmelette/
Shoutout to our Sponsor: EXIT Realty Lowcountry Group
Do you want something more? More Meaningful Moments opportunities, deeper relationships and memorable experiences? Do you want to make a difference? If you say YES, a career and real estate could be the opportunity you’re looking for guiding people to one of the most important decisions they ever made, the purchase or sale of their home can be both rewarding and lucrative.
EXIT Realty has a revolutionary compensation model training and technology that provides you with the tools you need to start and build your successful real estate career. Call EXIT Realty Lowcountry group today at 843-619-3005 that is 843-619-3005 or visit https://exitlowcountry.com/joinexit and make your Exit today.
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CORWYN:
Do you want something more? More meaningful moments, opportunities, deeper relationships, and memorable experiences? Do you want to make a difference? If you said yes to any of that, a career in real estate could be the opportunity you’re looking for. Guiding people through one of the most important decisions they ever made. The purchase or sale of their home can be both rewarding and lucrative. Exit Realty’s revolutionary compensation model, training, and technology provides you with the tools you need to start and build your successful real estate career. Call Exit Realty Lowcountry Group today at 843-619-3005, that’s 843-619-3005 or visit join.exitlowcountry.com and make your exit today.
Good morning, good morning, and great morning, guys. Welcome to another fabulous episode of Exit Strategies Radio Show. Hey, I am your host. That’s right. Corwyyn J. Millette, broker and owner of Exit Realty Low Country Group in beautiful, beautiful North Charleston, South Carolina. Hey, if this is your first time, yes. Some of y’all, this is the first time you done messed around and fell on this station at this time. Hey, I just want to first say thank you for the happy accident. Number two, I want to say to you, you are in for a treat because our mission at this show is to empower our community through financial literacy and real estate education. Guys, we’re legacy building. That is what we do. We’re setting you out to on this amazing adventure called Life From This Place Forward where you have the opportunity to change the narrative, to build and create wealth for your family for generations yet to come. Guys, it’s beyond just the punching the clock. This is about knocking out your dreams. So guys, I just want to encourage you in everything to pay attention, but most importantly, to engage and act. That’s how we achieve that next level. Guys, I want to give a quick shout out to those who listen to us faithfully. Y’all know how I feel about you. You know, I love you. You know, my mom out there, monkeys calling all the way to Hollywood, what you don’t know good. Y’all amaze me each and every time. Now y’all know that we have been having some of the most prolific may not be the right word. We’ve been having some amazing people right on this show that’s been giving insight, information and inspiration to you all. Now today is no different. Some of y’all like that CEO title, you know, the boss boss. That’s how we like. So we always try to go when we call them out and look at, we don’t stop till we get to the peak. So today we have with us none other than Gainer Osgoode. Now Gainer is the CEO, again, the boss of Rafters and this whole concept and what they’re doing in the space that they operate in is exciting to me because for those of you who are always worried about the worst case on your home, they are the solution. So if you all would please just take just a quick moment in your mind, I want you to do this drum roll and I want you to do this hand clap and I want you to stomp your feet and say to Gainer, welcome to the Exit Strategies radio show. Gainer, how are you doing this morning?
GYNER:
Very good, Corwyn. Thank you. I’m humbled by what you said, very, very humbled by what you said as an immigrant son. I’m very humbled when people say that and I’m very blessed to also just be here in person.
CORWYN:
We’ll appreciate you. I really appreciate you taking time to be with us today. So Gainer, you look, you do something. And as I told you backstage, outside of studio, that you’re bringing something that we haven’t had in some time. So I’m super excited about this conversation today because you are going to address one of the things that people oftentimes have concerns with, which is maintenance upkeep and some of the other stuff with their home. So Gainer, if you don’t mind, give our listeners a high level overview of who you are and what it is that you and your company do.
GYNER:
Yeah. So I am the CEO of a business called Raftr X. Our headquarters is in Duluth, Georgia, which is right northeast of Atlanta. Sorry about that. We are a private equity-backed insurance-based re-roof business, which is a mouthful. But the simplest version of that is a lot of times roofs get damaged. If you’re in the south, you get hail and wind damage a lot, or some catastrophic event unfortunately happens like a hurricane comes through. If you’re in the northern part of the country, there’s ice damming and snow and wind that causes damage. And we help provide solutions to get your roof repaired and or replaced by essentially being the broker of the conversation between the homeowner and the insurance carrier to get your roof repaired or replaced.
CORWYN:
You know, one of the things that oftentimes, and for reference, our listenership is broad. We have people that are aspiring to homeownership. We have people that are homeowners. We have people aspiring for real estate investing and some that are, some are novice, some are very well-seasoned. So we kind of run the gamut, the range, if you will, on this show of listener. But all have those same issues, what happens if your company is that intermediary that kind of comes in and say, we can help you get your exterior of your home. Now we might not come inside unless there’s something else going on, but we can get this exterior right. We can make sure this roof is repaired if there’s an issue. So let’s talk about that particular space, right? First and foremost, why is there a need for this space? Why is there a need for a company such as yours to operate the way that you do in this particular space?
GYNER:
Yeah. The way I view that is the homeowner, like the roof is the most, to me is, and of course I have a butt, the roof is the most important part of your home, right? Everything underneath it, both the assets that you own, but more importantly, the people that live with you are protected by that roof every day. So why is that important? Well, the answer to that is you get a storm coming through and maybe you get up in the morning and you look out your kitchen window and you see a couple of shingles on your backyard and you know you have a problem. Or worse yet, one of your kids is in their upstairs bedroom and they’re seeing a water spot in the ceiling of their bedroom and you’re a homeowner and you’re like, okay, what do I do?
CORWYN:
Right?
GYNER:
So they’re stuck. That epiphany that you have at that point in time is where we like to step in and provide that, right? So you have, typically you have a homeowner’s insurance policy and you’re really unclear with it because it’s very long, sometimes very convoluted. You’re not sure what’s covered, what’s not. You’re a little scared as a homeowner too, to engage your insurance provider and what does that mean for premiums going forward and how’s my policy going to get impacted? There is a very gnarly web of questions you start to internalize when the trigger happens, right? We like to say, hey, give us the confidence to walk you through that and help you through that process. We’ll help assess your policies. We’ll help work with the adjustments and the adjusters to look at your roof and then come up with a solution for your roof. And sometimes that’s repair and sometimes that’s replace, but we’ll make sure we get your roof taken care of so that you don’t have to worry about water or other things getting into your home, that your asset, which is your home, quite possibly in most cases, the largest asset that you own is well protected.
CORWYN:
So here’s his reality and Gyner, you might not frame it this way. The real of the conversation is insurance company is not in the business of paying out claims. You’re in the business of collecting premiums. And in turn, there is sometimes there’s a divide or gap that exists between the consumer who may have just experienced a storm or other something external that damaged their home and the insurance company who has coverage on it and has the ability to help fund or otherwise mitigate the cost to repair the home roof, other exterior facets, et cetera. So what I heard is you guys really do more of a hands-on approach of, Hey, let’s assess, let’s get in here. Let’s figure out, figure this out, what should be covered. And then you work with the insurance company through their adjuster to determine what needs to be done and how they’re going to, and what they’re going to cover being completed.
GYNER:
At RAFTRx, what we’re working towards is to be the best partner for homeowners and insurance carriers and provide what I’ll call an experience that’s honest, which a lot of guys probably knock on your door and say, I can get you a free roof. It’s the easiest proposition that they can provide you. But then a year from now, that company’s gone. They’re what we call the typical storm chasers that go out. A storm happens to get your roof done and they’re banished. And then a year from now, your roof leaks and you’re like, what do I do? Cause that guy didn’t even call me back. So we really want to provide value by giving integrity of our assessment via our project managers to both the carrier and the homeowner and be kind of a real, Hey, you need a repair on this and it’s repairable or no, you need to be replaced because the color’s not there or there’s sustainable damage on one side of it because the hail storm really did a number to your roof. And here’s all the pictures that show that our best interest is to take care of the homeowner always, right? So we align with the insurance carriers, a partner to show them the value of what we’re trying to do. And, and frankly, for the insurance carrier, it’s also providing the value of now this home has a new roof and for years and years to come on that policy, they can have a lot of confidence that roofs can be protected from any further claims.
CORWYN:
So as a homeowner, whatever category I am under that auspice, what can I, as a consumer do to ensure that I have the coverage that I need? I won’t say the best coverage cause you need the right coverage, I guess. So how can a homeowner ensure they have the right coverage that will assist them with exterior and roof repairs?
GYNER:
Yeah, what I’d say is for new homeowners, make sure you do have, when your inspector comes out to do a home inspection, make sure that they’re actually getting on the roof and giving you an actual assessment of the roof. It starts with the purchase of the home because if it’s a really old roof or a really damaged roof, as a homeowner myself too, you shouldn’t negotiate that into your purchase price because the next step of that is you’re going to go get coverage. And insurance carriers have a lot of data around the age of that roof. They may not know the condition of it, but they certainly will probably know the age of it. And they’re going to give you coverage just based on the assessment of the age of the roof. You need to do your homework when you go buy from them and make sure you protect yourself. And then I’ll also say as a new homeowner, if you get the value of the roof assessed to the purchase price, use that money to get the roof, not something else because you’re just hurting yourself in the short term because at some point that roof is going to need to be replaced. If you’re an existing homeowner though, really understand your policy. If you have an agent, go sit down and help them explain the differences in different types of policies because there are three or four different iterations of home insurance policies, especially as clauses pertaining to your roof occur. So what is covered in storm damage? What is not covered? How does age impact how much you’re reimbursed as an example? Because there’s policies that take the value of your roof and diminish it over time and essentially pay you a percentage of the value if a catastrophic event occurs, right? So really sitting down with your agent and understanding them. And the best way I give you advice to do that is take a couple of examples with you. Write them down. If a hailstorm hit and my roof got damaged tomorrow and we validated, what would you cover? If a hurricane came through, what would you cover? Let them walk you through those examples so you really understand your coverage because that’s where you’re going to feel good as a homeowner that you have the right coverage or you don’t. Because an output of that conversation might be, how do I get better coverage? Thank you.
CORWYN:
Look, I’m in the profession and I don’t believe that I’ve ever asked that question. Now I’ll say that my insurance guy, my broker, he does an amazing job of explaining things and, Hey, you need this and you don’t need this. And he’ll ask questions, ensure that he recommends the coverage or coverage at the level that I need, but I’ve never ran a scenario with them. And oftentimes, even now you may have encountered this. So many people now just buy insurance. So when they buy it, they try to buy the cheapest thing, number one, but number two, they’re buying it impersonally. So you don’t talk to the agent or the broker. All you do is just fill out an application, give them a little bit of information. And then that’s it. And next thing you know, they generate a quote, giving you options. And most people, again, choose the least expensive option and don’t really understand the coverage. But calling your agent or broker would be ideal. I love that.
GYNER:
Yeah. The conversation will go a really long way about understanding your coverages and what you should or shouldn’t do.
CORWYN:
So let’s shift this a little bit. Obviously, you guys identified a need in the market. Businesses develop out of gaps. They don’t develop oftentimes. They develop in gaps where there’s a gap or an opportunity, if you will, in the market. So what led you to, one, believe there really was a gap in this space? What kind of drove the creation and the building, if you will, of Rafters?
GYNER:
Yeah, the thesis of the business, I’m not going to say it’s a simple one. It’s really data fact-driven, right? You hear it in the news all the time. There is not enough homes in America. And homes are continually being built to meet the demands of home ownership in America. So there is a material tailwind of just footprint of homes. And then what I also say is the science, again, scientific, the science of weather patterns isn’t improving. You can be on either side of the fence of whether or not you agree with global warming. But I will say, in general, weather seems to be getting more chaotic than less chaotic, right? At the intersection of more homes and more chaotic weather, the thesis of filling the space of people needing roofs repaired or replaced as an output of weather patterns shows a ton of runaway and opportunity for us to go.
CORWYN:
Yeah, look here. That’s very valid because that’s even something I didn’t think about because you’re right. Weather is ridiculous now. Look, we had snow in South Carolina this year. Hold on. And Charles, let me be clear. And we ain’t talking about a little bit of snow. We talking about enough snow that people stayed home for about two, three, four days. It was snowed in. Like, wait a minute, what? Definitely weather patterns and weather is completely different than what it used to be. So thank you for pointing that out and giving that insight. So those are the things that our listeners should be paying attention to and thinking about, which is, okay, look, this is different. Now we see more hurricanes and tornadoes, tropical storms on the Southeast region. We see more of that. Water, when it freezes, can impact exteriors as well. Things cause things to swell or otherwise detach from one another. So let’s talk about, so let’s shift this yet again because oftentimes people, my imagination matter of fact, I’m going to be clear, me, we don’t think about this, right? So financial planning, like you own a home and oftentimes we’re reactionary. We need something done. That’s when we either begin to set aside for it or that’s when we just take care of it. Meaning that we haven’t planned for, we didn’t budget for it or allocate for it. What advice do you give consumers on that process? You own a home, you got a $5,000 deductible for a roof replacement for you with your insurance company. What do you advise people on how to navigate that and plan appropriately?
GYNER:
Yeah, depending on personal choices and materials, but the average roof for just an average home in America is probably going to cost somewhere between $15,000 and $25,000. Again, the reason the brackets are wide in that range is because it really depends on what you choose in terms of materials. That gives you a sense of the investment of the roof itself. So your point is, again, $5,000 deductible, the insurance will cover it, but you still have the $5,000 to cover. And if it’s an old roof and you just have to replace it, you’re going to need liquidity of $15,000 to $25,000 in order to get that roof done. So what I’d say is make sure you start to plan for that and set it aside and maybe at least get half of that put away for yourself somewhere. Your home is a really important investment and at some point you’re going to want to sell it, right? It’s an asset that you’re going to sell. And as I started this show with, it’s going to come full circle and your next buyer is either going to come to you and say, give me a discount off the sale price because I’m going to put a new roof on it, or you should put a new roof on it before you sell it, get your value, maximum value, right? So what I’d say is try to take about half the value of a roof and set it aside as a slush fund over time for yourself. The other half, I would say you can get good interest, low interest loans on home improvements like this. So I don’t think you should necessarily put all of it aside. It’s like my personal bias there. I think there’s a combination of having enough money upfront and financing the rest. That’s the right mix for yourself. Put a little aside and get up to about 50% of that $15,000 to $25,000 value. And I think you’ll feel in a better spot if it happens financing the rest for a couple hundred bucks a month.
CORWYN:
Okay. Good deal. So let me ask you this one, and this is a slight shift, but I’d like to think it’s along the same vein. Some areas, some states, municipalities, otherwise have programs to offset roof replacements or I don’t, some may do repairs, but how often do you guys work with and those types of programs or those types of, if you will, assistance?
GYNER:
We’ve run into it. Not as frequently as I would have thought as well, but we can definitely partner on things like that in terms of working with municipalities that help with assistance on replacement roofs. I mean, we’ve done it. It doesn’t show up as much as I wish it would. So if your listeners are listening, feel free to reach out. We’re willing to help.
CORWYN:
Awesome. It’s awesome. Gyner, we’re quickly getting to the end of today’s show. So one, I want to make sure that you have the opportunity to drop your contact where people can reach out to you, your company, ask questions and get connected because you guys are most certainly a resource to consumers. So where can people reach you at?
GYNER:
RAFTRx. Easiest way is to go to our website. We are in about 11 states across the country currently. It’s rafter, no e, x.com. So r-a-f-t-r-x.com. It’ll show you our coverage areas and depending on the state you click, you’ll get in touch with one of our local brands. We are a local branded business, so different brands in different parts of the country, but we’ll definitely put you in contact. I mean, personally, I’m on LinkedIn. I’m very public on LinkedIn and feel free to connect with me. And if you want to have a conversation, I’m always open to doing that.
CORWYN:
Awesome. It’s awesome. And so Gyner, I imagine because you’ve done this for, I think, 20, 30 years from what my notes say. So you’ve done this for a while. So my question for you is knowing what you know now and what you’ve learned, what advice would you give a consumer as it relates to the maintenance upkeep, if you will, of their stairs? Something that you’ve learned that you’ve noticed from all your years of doing what you’ve done in this space.
GYNER:
Yeah. So a couple of years in this space, but a professional for many years, but I have been a landlord too and a homeowner. I’d say the number one thing to do is do the upkeep on your roof. It’s something we all always ignore. And when I say upkeep, make sure your gutters are cleared. If you’re scared to do it yourself, hire someone that will clean your gutters, check your roof once a year, give you a visual inspection. They can take pictures on their phones nowadays and text them to you. It’s really simple. Really understand the condition of your roof. It’s like the simplest way to check in every year to make sure there isn’t something going on that you should take care of before it becomes a bigger problem. Sometimes a $300 repair to one part of your roof can prevent a $15,000 replacement of all of your roof in a couple of years.
CORWYN:
Cool. Cool. Cool. That is great insight. That’s very good. Very good insight, actually, Garner. So first of all, I want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to be here with us today. I’d like to imagine you didn’t have to climb off of somebody’s roof to get down here and do the show today. Theoretically, that’s what you did. You climbed off of somebody’s roof, like, hold on, let me get down here on the ground level and see what we can make happen.
GYNER:
Our workman’s comp company might not be happy if they hear that we’re still climbing.
CORWYN:
That is good stuff. That’s good stuff. So again, thank you so much for taking time out to be on the show with us today. I really appreciate it.
GYNER:
Thank you, Corwyn. Again, thank you for having me. And again, you can reach us at RAFTRx.com or on LinkedIn. And very humbled to be here. And thank you. Good deal.
CORWYN:
So for our listeners, guys, look, you guys know, y’all know, y’all ain’t just started. And for those of you tuned in today for the first time, come back and y’all want to see how it is. Look here, y’all know how I feel. Y’all know what I say. And I always put the two of those things together and I give it to you this way, which is to tell you that I love you. I love you. I love you. And we’re going to see you guys out there in those streets.
