Question for the realtors out there (Union, Beddington: mobile home, live in, moving)

[dramamama6685]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

you could tell a new buyer these are the latest "architectural calico shingles"
just came out,,goes with any color,,if you decide to paint the house.

Maybe this will be the reaction:
Wow, golly gee the latest fashion...aren't we so lucky honey? We should buy this one.

[mollysmiles]

El, what was so bad about the darker shingles to begin with? I know it wasn't the color you started with, but was it that bad? It just seems as if you went from not really drawing attention to something, to making it a focus I think the REALTOR should be the one on the roof trying to even out the look!! I know--the whole hindsight thing!---and I'm really not trying to make you feel worse about it!!

[Calandria]

We also have green and black algae on the roof and have been wondering what to do about it before we sell next spring. I found this on the internet:

It is wise to avoid chlorine bleach as a roof cleaner. Chlorine bleach can remove the natural color from [COLOR=#0072bc! important][COLOR=#0072bc! important]wood [COLOR=#0072bc! important]roofing[/color][/color][/color] shakes, it can kill vegetation on the ground if it runs onto the ground as it is rinsed from the roof and it can accelerate [COLOR=#0072bc! important][COLOR=#0072bc! important]corrosion[/color][/color] of metal gutter and downspout systems.
A better roof cleaner might be non-toxic oxygen bleach. This widely available powder is mixed with water and applied to a [COLOR=#0072bc! important][COLOR=#0072bc! important]cool [COLOR=#0072bc! important]roof[/color][/color][/color] surface, preferably on an overcast day. If you keep the roof surface wet with the solution for just 20 minutes and then lightly scrub the roof surface, the algae almost always comes off. Severely stained roofs may require multiple applications of the oxygen bleach solution. The solution also helps to loosen the grip of the shallow moss roots.

This makes it sound like loads of fun:

Cleaning roofs can be dangerous work. Algae that becomes wet is often as slippery as wet ice. Try to work on dry parts of the roof and reach sideways to scrub and clean those parts of the roof that are wet with cleaning solutions. Once a roof is clean, they often are not too slippery if they are wet. Wear shoes that have excellent traction. Sitting and working on the roof instead of standing lowers your center of gravity and minimizes your chances of falling from the roof.

[Elcarim]

The main problem was that most of the roof was black as tar, but then you could see the protected areas were still light tan. It was obvious that it was just dirt and not the original color. Anyway, nothing we can do now - yes, hindsight! We'll figure something out.

[Elcarim]

After a couple more rains, the roof actually is looking a little better. It's evened out a lot, though still not perfect. I can't believe it went from black to tan again. It's pretty cool! Another amazing use for a household product!

Someone told me earlier to use Easy Off (the blue can - not the yellow one) to get soap residue off the fiberglass tub and surround. Haven't tried that yet!

[flipflopdreamer]

Hi Elcarin,

Pressure wash your roof! ... since the grade is easy to stand up on the roof.. u can pressure was without chemicals ... MAKING SURE to wash downwards in the same direction as the shingles ... it will be just like a hard rain .. but you will have control over where you are washing.

Also I would suggest getting rid of the dark brown paint on the front and matching it with the Yellow/tan color ... BTW RED DOORS are great.... there was a study done showing that homes with red doors sell quicker ... I can't remember where I read that tho... but I think it makes a house pop! Good Luck ... Oh and Pressure was the green gunk off too ... Always make sure the direction is good for the tiles etc ,,, and for less pressure stand further away!

[Elcarim]

The dark brown is aluminum siding. That's the original color. Do you think the colors clash? We were afraid to use the pressure washer - don't want to blow the shingles off!

[lovemaine]

Hi El,

Is your house on the market yet? If so, have you had a lot of showings? Just curious !

[Elcarim]

Not officially, but we did have one showing on Thursday. Waiting for our realtor to get back into the office Monday to see what the feedback was. It was a friend of hers who showed it, so I'm anxious to hear her take.

We'll list it in about a week. We're ALMOST finished with all the projects we've been working on. We have one bath, one bedroom to paint and then install the baseboards throughout and we're done. I actually did the deep cleaning before Thursday's showing, so it's just a matter of keeping up with it now. That could be a major feat with 3 small children in the house!

Thanks for asking!

[lovemaine]

Originally Posted by Elcarim

Not officially, but we did have one showing on Thursday. Waiting for our realtor to get back into the office Monday to see what the feedback was. It was a friend of hers who showed it, so I'm anxious to hear her take.

We'll list it in about a week. We're ALMOST finished with all the projects we've been working on. We have one bath, one bedroom to paint and then install the baseboards throughout and we're done. I actually did the deep cleaning before Thursday's showing, so it's just a matter of keeping up with it now. That could be a major feat with 3 small children in the house!

Thanks for asking!

That's great that you're almost done with all your projects. We've sold 3 homes, and it's never easy! Especially when you have kids and pets. Whenever we had a showing, I would pack up the kids and dogs and go to a park. If the weather was nasty, sometimes we'd just drive around until the showing was over. As much as I dread having showings again when we put our current house on the market, it will be SO worth it to finally move to Maine! I can't wait!

Best of luck with the sale of your home!