it comes time to sell your home, you want to make sure it looks as good as possible. Effective home staging can have a real impact on home price, and can even make the difference between an immediate sale and a decision to wait and see.
If you look for advice on home staging online, you'll probably find a lot of articles focussing on interiors - how to arrange furniture, what to put on your shelves, how to make furniture, accents, and rooms come together to create a sense of sumptuous hominess. When the exterior of the house is mentioned, it is usually in the context of a fresh coat of paint, or a reminder to get some cosmetic landscaping done.
While you certainly do want to take your time with the interior, there are good reasons to treat the exterior just as carefully. It's the first thing people see, after all, and if you want to make a good impression, you'll need to wow them from the very first instant.
Taking care of the grounds and making sure the paint is fresh and the walls clean is essential. But all-too-often, homeowners who stage their properties themselves neglect to do anything at all with the roof. This is a little like carefully washing your face and applying high quality make-up and then not bothering to run a comb through your hair.
Making sure your roof is at its best is as important as any other aspect of staging preparation, so here are four reasons to make roof maintenance a part of your staging plan.
1. Your Roof Plays an Essential Role in Curb Appeal
Curb appeal is one of those words homeowners hear so much it can becoming almost meaningless. But just like in a job interview, the first few moments when potential buyers see your home are critical. Making sure everything is clean, neat, and looking fresh will make your house that much more appealing.
If your home is like most North American detached houses, then your roof actually accounts for a significant portion of its profile when facing the road. Making sure the shingles are clean, the gutters are straight, and there is no moss growing in the shady patches is an essential part of making a good impression.
2. A Shabby Roof Raises Concerns
But it isn't just necessary to have a clean roof - you also want to make sure it looks watertight and fresh, without any bare patches, or curling broken or shingles.
A roof that's looking tired will raise concerns for potential buyers, and will encourage them to start looking at other components of the house with a critical eye.
This doesn't necessarily mean replacing your roof altogether, though. In some cases, you may simply need to replace the shingles in high-stress areas.
3. Soffits and Fascia are an Important Accent
As any homeowner who has experience with roof repairs knows, soffits and fascia play an essential if often overlooked role in the overall roof system. Together, they protect the eaves, rafters, and attic from weather damage, moisture, and animal intrusion.
Over time, though, these important components can become discoloured and damaged as part of the regular wear and tear on your house. All-too-frequently, homeowners get so used to how their soffits and fascia look that they lose sight of just how rundown they have become.
This poses a major problem when it comes to curb appeal. As an accent, soffits and fascia can play an essential role in helping other parts of your roof visually pop, and taking the time to repair, replace, or simply repaint these components can be well worth it.
If your soffits and fascia need repairs, or you need to have sections re-done, get in touch with expert roofers who have extensive experience repairing and replacing these components, and can give your home the brightest possible face.
4. Clean Skylights Make a Big Difference
Just as your soffits and fascia can lose their luster over time, imperceptible grime slowly builds up on your skylights over the course of the year, reducing the quality of the light and making rooms that should feel bright and pleasant somewhat dingy. Because these changes happen slowly, you may not have even noticed - but rest assured, anyone attending a home staging will!
Fortunately, cleaning skylights is an easy job that makes a big difference. With a few basic household cleaners, you can get them clean and streak-free in no time.
If you have trouble accessing your roof or face mobility issues, ask your roofing company if they will include this service along with soffit and fascia replacement and the general roof inspection.
For those who have never gone through a staging before, it can seem overwhelming. With so much to account for and a limited amount of time, it's easy to lose track of what needs to be done.
Making a list for each part of your house is the best way to start, and remember: hiring professional help can be one of the easiest ways to save yourself stress while making sure your house looks its best!
