Your roof is one of the biggest home preventive maintenance items and is very often overlooked. Checking your roof for signs of wear and damage can prevent the need for major water damage repairs costing thousands of dollars.

Your roof is the first line of defense protecting you and your valuables from whatever mother nature throws at you. Making sure it is in good condition will help keep your home safe and dry.

Doing a general inspection from the ground and inside your home will give you some indication of the condition of the roof and whether or not there are leaks or other issues that will cause problems in the future.

For safety reasons, hiring a professional roofer or home inspector is your best option for making sure your roof is holding back the weather.

If you feel comfortable doing it yourself, here is a great list of things to look for, courtesy of IKO.com:

Exterior Roof Inspection

1. Severely blistered, curled or split shingles.
2. Loose or missing shingles.
3. Loose nails.
4. Exposed nails.
5. Broken or loose shingles at the ridge and hip lines.
6. Signs of missing caulk to seal flashing.
7. Rusty or corroded metal flashing.
8. Damaged or missing flashing.
9. Sagging on the ridges.
10. Broken seals on shingles.
11. Excessive granule loss.
12. Chimney cracks.
13. Rubber boots at top of pipes for dry rot.
14. Gutters and eaves for proper shingle overhangs.
15. Review gutters and downspouts.
16. Examine fascia board for any damage or rot.
17. Survey the condition of siding above the roof.

Your roof can be one of the most expensive repairs needed on your home. But the damage that a leaky roof can cause can be a lot more expensive to repair. Check your roof or have it checked by a professional roofer at least twice a year.