​Doing plenty of research if you are buying a property is essential, especially if you are buying a home for the first time. With all the different purchase options out there, it can be difficult to decide what is right for you so, let's look at one of those options, bank-owned properties. There are a lot of positives with bank-owned properties, one of which is that they can be a good value for the money. To be a wise investment, however, you need to be aware of what to expect, which is where that research comes in.
 
The property will often become bank-owned because the homeowner was not able to keep up with the mortgage. If they were not able to pay for something as important as their mortgage then it is very unlikely much money has been recently spent on the upkeep of the home and so it may be in some state of disrepair. It is not uncommon to also find that the home has been stripped of anything somewhat valuable or be filled with garbage and vandalized.
 
Naturally, you will have a look around the property before deciding whether or not to buy it and, while this will give you some idea of its condition, it will not reveal everything. The only way to find out its true state is to have the home inspected. Your real estate agent may try to dissuade you from spending the money on a home inspection, seeing that you would buy the property “as is”, but, it is much better to know just what will be involved and how much money will be required to get the property to a livable condition, and then make your decision based on the facts.
 
To review, then, a bank-owned property could be a good investment but make sure the decision you make is based on a knowledge of the home's true condition.

​Moss frequently grows on roofs in places that experience higher levels of moisture. You would most probably notice it on areas of the roof that do not see too much sunlight. If you have spotted patches of moss growing on your roof you may be wondering whether it will do any damage to it. So, should you have the moss removed from your roof?
 
To answer that question, you will need to determine where the moss is growing. For example, if you notice it is growing in and around the gutters and downspouts, it may be causing them to clog up which would prevent water from draining properly. If this is not cleared it could cause the home to have structural issues.
 
Another thing you should consider is the building materials used for the roof’s construction. If the shingles are made of clay or stone, it is unlikely that moss growing on them will create any problems. It is important to remember, however, that moss retains a great deal of moisture which could have a negative impact on the structure of the roof so you may decide to err on the side of caution and remove the moss anyway.
 
Removing moss from a roof should be done correctly. There are some methods used for cleaning roofs that could actually do more damage than the moss itself so do your research and choose the best company to take care of it.
 
If you are unsure about whether moss will damage your roof it may be best to have it inspected. This way you can discover the condition of the roof and find out if the moss is creating any problems.