Fall Is Coming – Is Your Home Ready

Part 2

So you’ve stuck with us through part 1; welcome to part 2 of preparing your home as fall approaches. Some of the exterior items you may want to hire a professional to handle. For me, many on the list I’m personally going to have a professional do. I don’t know about you but I’m not getting on a ladder and cleaning gutters. That’s not to say that you can’t. Heights just aren’t my thing. Remember to stay tuned to part 3.

Exterior Maintenance

Check your roof. There are a few ways to check your roof. First, you can use binoculars, if you have a drone you can use that, or you can contact a roofing professional. Many roofing professionals will come out and do a visual inspection for a low cost or possibly free. Just make sure to use a reputable company. During your inspection, you’re looking for missing, damaged, or loose shingles. If you’re not sure what this looks like, you can search on YouTube.

Chimney and fireplace. Wood burning fireplaces are great and provide lots of heat. However, they do need to be maintained. So, keep your family and home safe by having your chimney cleaned and inspected by a professional. Not only do you want to make sure the structure is sound, but you want to make sure it’s clean. The cleanings cut down on chimney fires and you make sure it’s free of wildlife. Yes, I did say wildlife. It’s a great place for vermin to take up residence.

Firewood. If you heat with firewood make sure to order enough firewood for the season. No matter if you gather your own or purchase it, make sure it’s dry and ready. It’s best to cover the firewood and store it away from the house for safety reasons.

Inspect siding. The siding of your home is going to take a beating no matter where you live. You have heat in the summer as well as rain, hail and wind just to mention a few. Plus don’t forget about wildlife that’s native to your area. So, you’re going to be looking for any cracks, holes and any type of damage that may have developed. If you find damage, you may be able to repair them yourself or hire a professional. Just determine if it’s something you can tackle.

Clean the gutters. Hire a service to clear your gutters or do it yourself, but stay safe if you decide to tackle it yourself. During the cleaning process, remove leaves, nests, and debris from gutters and check for leaks.

Check the water drainage. Water draining away from the home and foundations is very important. Make sure all rainwater downspouts are clear of obstructions and direct water away from foundations, walkways, and driveways. Add extensions to downspouts if necessary.

Reinforce windows and doors. For homes that have storm windows and doors, you’re going to remove screens and install your storm windows and doors if you use them. Check the caulk and seals around all doors and windows, repair if needed.

Turn off faucets and store hoses. During the off-season, your not going to need your garden hoses. Disconnect them from the outside spigots and drain. Shut off exterior faucets, and if you have an older home, you may need to turn off the valve inside your home. If you’ve never done this before, no worries, YouTube is there for you. It has everything as you probably know. Now, you’re probably saying what about these hoses, just store them in a dry place so any residual water won’t freeze.

Service sprinklers and irrigation system. For properties with these systems, they may need to be drained and checked depending on your climate. Have a professional perform any necessary repairs and mark sprinkler heads near snow removal areas.

Delana Cotton servers the northeast 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.

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.