Getting Ready To Sell Your Home: Roof Maintenance & Cleaning
When youre getting your home ready to sell it is vital to ensure that your entire house is immaculate before it goes on the market
. One area that is often overlooked but dramatically affects the street appearance of your home is your roof.A dirty roof with an abundance of moss and algae on it looks neglected and unattractive and can influence prospective buyers to not buy a home.
There are a few reasons that your roof might be looking like an overgrown science experiment, moss and algae are two of the most common causes of a discoloured roof.
Algae thrives in a moist environment like on the shady side of your roof where the morning dew doesnt evaporate right away in the early part of the day. As the algae dies and decomposes, the roof becomes stained black and streaky.
Moss is a plant that also requires regular moisture and its structure also makes it ideal for growing on shady areas on your roof. The difference between having algae growing on your roof and moss is mostly that algae will stain your roof black while moss can actually damage your roof.
To remove algae and moss from your roof, you can gently and carefully power wash your roof from the roof-line down to the edge or you can hire a professional roof cleaner to come and do the treacherous job for you. A wet roof, particularly one that is steeply pitched, is very hazardous.
To prevent moss and algae from growing on your roof there are some passive devices that you can install on your roof which are made from copper or zinc; when rainwater flows over these strips it forms a compound that kills the moss or algae and keeps it from growing on your roof. Another option is to trim back the trees around your home to cut back on the shade that your roof is getting so that it can dry properly.
While you might not think that it would be worthwhile in investing in preventative measures to keep plant growth from forming on your roof when youre trying to sell it, showing prospective buyers that you have been (and still are) committed to maintaining your home will speak volumes to them. Buyers are looking for good quality for their dollar; the better maintained that a home is, the better value it is for a buyer.Also, if your home doesnt sell as quickly as you would like, the plants will not return while youre waiting for those perfect buyers.