Great replies so far.
It's a newer policy. I wasn't informed they'd be inspecting and gave no permission for them to be on my property. Water under the bridge now I guess. I was told the inspector had a ladder (step), camera and some type of stick mounted to the camera for elevation purposes. They don't physically go up on the roof.
Tried uploading pics with no luck...
Anyway...I'm also a believer in getting things done before it's critical. So, I'll plan on taking action within the year I guess.
The roof is clear of trees, so that's good. It's a patio villa, so the cost, I expect shouldn't be toooooo bad. 5-6k?
Will go with the newer "fancy" shingles as 3 tab seems to be a thing of the past, at least up north.