Fall Is Coming – Is Your Home Ready

Part 1

With fall fast approaching, there are steps that homeowners should take in order to prepare their home. Some of these are interior and others are exterior. You may be a new homeowner and have no idea what these are. Or you may be a seasoned homeowner and just need a refresher course or a checklist. Either way, we have you covered. Personally, I’m a checklist type of person. Let's cover interior maintenance items. In part 2 we’ll cover exterior items

Interior Maintenance

Check for drafts. You’d be amazed how much air comes in or escapes through drafty window and doors. So it’s time to get those hands and fingers out people. No, you won’t be getting them dirty, just checking for drafts. It’s easy, just feel for drafts around the edges of windows and doors. If that doesn’t work, you can use a lit candle. If there are drafts, you’ll see the flame flicker. If necessary, replace seals and repair caulking around window and door frames. For additional draft prevention, consider buying heavier or insulated drapery for especially drafty windows. No worries, if you're not handy, you can have a handyman/person assist you or check out YouTube videos.

Furnace inspection. Your heating and cooling system has been working faithfully for you all summer. So now you should reward it with good servicing by a professional. Yup, that means to hire an HVAC professional to test for leaks, check heating efficiency, and change the filter. Yes, I know you can change that filter yourself, but don’t forget about the other things your furnace tune-up entails. Many times if you plan ahead, you can get a better price, so don’t wait for the heating season starts.

Winterize air conditioner. For homeowners with central air, consult with your heating and air professional to determine if you If your air conditioner needs to be covered during the off-season. Now don’t forget about window air conditioning units, they need to be prepared for the off-season as well; remove them or cover to prevent air leaks.

Programmable thermostat. So you think you’re tech-savvy, just how savvy are you? If you currently don’t have a programmable thermostat, you may want to have your current one(s) switched out for new technologies. There’s many out there, so do your research for what’s the best for your situation. What this means for your budget, is savings every season.

Test home safety devices. Don’t forget safety is important. Replace the batteries in all smoke detectors and carbon monoxide devices and test to make sure they’re working properly. If you currently don’t have these devices, they can be purchased online or from your local hardware store. Always do your research for what’s going to work best for your situation.

Delana Cotton servers the north east Atlanta region that includes Dacula, Winder, Lawrenceville, Buford, Snellville, Conyers and surrounding areas. Delana treats every transaction as if she were you, the buyer or seller. If you have a real estate transaction on the horizon, meet Delana for a no pressure chat over coffee.