Is my Roofer actually a roofer? Should I trust a satellite estimate?

The roofing industry in Florida and frankly nationally is bloated. There's all sorts of talking heads on youtube that want to be leading voices but they don't have a very long history in roofing, or they have a history in marketing but not roofing, or they were nothing more than a salesman turned business owner. While there's nothing wrong with any of those things, why not hire an actual roofer? If you submit a request for an estimate to 5 "roofers", I guarantee three of them will try to send you an estimate without even visiting your house and that is not good. Satellites are a great tool, but you shouldn't be diagnosing and estimating a roof from space...there's things you need to see. Has the previous system worked? Does it need changes or special attention to detail? Roofers install what is delivered, and once it's installed then It's final. Have a roofer out to your house and ask him to take a detailed look around.