Essential Fall Home Maintenance Tips

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Cooler weather is coming! As the leaves begin to change and crisp autumn air sets in, it’s the perfect time to get your home ready for the season. A few small maintenance steps now can help keep your home cozy. They ensure it stays safe and energy-efficient all fall and winter long and will help prevent costly surprises down the road.

Here’s a quick list of essential fall maintenance tasks to help you stay organized.

✅ Quick Fall Maintenance Tips

1. Clean Gutters & Downspouts
Remove leaves and debris to prevent clogs and water damage. Make sure water is flowing freely away from your home’s foundation.

2. Inspect Roof Shingles
Look for missing, loose, or damaged shingles. Catching issues early can help you avoid leaks and expensive repairs after the first heavy rain or snow.

3. Service Your Furnace & Replace Filters
Schedule a professional HVAC inspection to ensure your heating system is running efficiently. Don’t forget to replace air filters to improve air quality and reduce energy use.

4. Seal Windows & Door Gaps
Use weatherstripping to seal drafts, or you can put down draft stoppers. These options will keep drafts out to keep your home warmer and lower your heating bills. I purchased these Gorilla Grip draft stoppers last year and they were great all winter long!

5. Test Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Change batteries and test all alarms to ensure your home is protected as you start using fireplaces and heaters more frequently.

6. Winterize Outdoor Faucets
Disconnect hoses, drain outdoor pipes, and insulate spigots to prevent frozen and burst pipes.

7. Store Outdoor Furniture & Grills
Clean and cover—or store away—outdoor furniture and grills to protect them from the elements and extend their lifespan.

8. Trim Trees & Shrubs
Cut back overgrown branches, especially those close to your house or power lines. Fall storms and snow can bring them down unexpectedly.

9. Inspect & Clean the Chimney
If you plan to use your fireplace, have the chimney inspected and cleaned to avoid chimney fires and ensure safe operation.

Taking care of these simple fall maintenance tasks can make a big difference in the comfort, safety, and efficiency of your home. Plus, you’ll head into the colder months with peace of mind—ready to enjoy everything fall has to offer.

From a real estate perspective, a home inspector will call out many of these items when you are under contract. It is best to be on top of them ahead of time. Do you have questions on preparing your home for sale? Please feel free to reach out via the contact information below!

🍁 Happy Fall—and happy home prepping!

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Maintenance Tips for a Cozy Winter

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Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! They say good things come in threes, so here are three ideas to help you get your home ready for a cozy holiday.

Control interior temps

  • Ceiling fans—Set fans to spin clockwise in winter to create an updraft and circulate warm air around the room.
  • Windows and doors—Caulk gaps around loose window panes, add foam weather stripping to window frames and doors.
  • Programmable thermostat—Set the temperature to drop at bedtime and come up before you wake, and save money all winter.

Maintain your furnace

  • Furnace humidifier—Add moisture to your air; moist air holds heat better than dry air, so you stay warmer without bumping the thermostat.
  • Tune-up and maintenance—Schedule a service call and put an annual maintenance reminder on your calendar.
  • Filter—Write the date on an edge of your new filter and replace every few months, more often in dusty conditions.

Prepare your yard

  • Patios—Clear patios and walkways to avoid trip-and-slip hazards for guests, store or cover outdoor furniture to keep it looking good for next year.
  • Trees—Prune branches closest to the house to prevent damage to gutters, roofs and siding.
  • Roofs—Install roof heating cables to prevent dangerous ice dam build-up over doors and walkways.

If you have any other questions or tips, I’d love to hear from you! Please reach out to Beth below:

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Original copy courtesy of WK Real Estate, November 21 2024.

New Construction Doesn’t Mean Problem-Free

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I’ve heard it many times on showings or while having conversations with people — the assumption that a new build won’t come with any problems. Unfortunately, new doesn’t mean problem-free. In fact, new homes will likely have some issues whether it be missed construction items or construction defects. Even with an inspection of the home, some issues may not be uncovered until the buyer moves in which can be frustrating. I recently read an article from one of the inspection companies I work with that brings to light some of the common problems with new construction.

Read the article from Scott Homes here: https://bit.ly/2xzn7IR

To highlight some of the items they discuss:

  1. Dirty duct systems
  2. Doors that don’t close properly
  3. Windows issues
  4. Incorrect plumbing or appliance hook-ups
  5. Overlooked painting

If you are thinking of a new build, this article is worth a read. If you need help with your home search in Colorado, I would love to help! Please reach out via the contact tab here or email me at bgoltz@wkre.com.

Fall Home To-Do List

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As the days start to get a little cooler and there is a chill in the evening air, most of us can’t help but think about the fall days ahead.  With that comes cozy warm layers, hot drinks, comfort foods, and the start of the leaves changing colors (my favorite time of year!).  However, with this transition also comes a home to-do list you will want to consider to prepare your house for colder days ahead.  Read below for some key things to plan for.

  1. Do an initial check of your roof & gutters.  It’s generally fine to wait until the majority of the leaves have fallen to clean out gutters and downspouts, but now is a good time to check for debris, fallen sticks, or seals that look worn-out.  Make sure you don’t see obvious signs of damage or wear on your roof, especially around vent pipes and chimneys.  If you do, schedule repairs before the harsh winter starts as worn seals or damage could cause house leaks.IMG_1080
  2. Schedule chimney clean-ups. Make sure your fireplace is clean & safe for the upcoming year, especially if you have a wood-burning fireplace.  A dirty chimney can be a fire hazard. Creosote, the sticky substance that remains after a fire, is highly flammable.  A chimney sweep is an easy & relatively cheap maintenance item you should not avoid.  
  3. Touch-up exterior paint.  One of my first blogs was about how important it is to stay on top of exterior paint.  Review your exterior for chipping paint and prioritize touching-up areas where you know snow may accumulate in the winter.IMG_0049
  4. Schedule a tune-up for your heating system.  Make sure your heating system is working optimally by scheduling a tune-up.  Depending on the age of your system, you may only need one every other year.  Ask your heating professional how often to schedule so you are aware moving forward.
  5. Cover-up or remove A/C Units.  September is the time to remove A/C window units – it is ideal to remove them vs. putting on a cover as it minimizes winter heat loss if you can close the window.  If you have central A/C, you’ll want to turn the system off to avoid it flipping on in an unusually warm winter day.  Hose or blow off the air conditioning unit to remove leaves, small branches, dirt and dust. Ensure it dries completely and then cover the A/C unit with a protective cover for the season.  You may want to call a local HVAC company to see if there are other preventative items you should do to keep your system in good condition over the winter.
  6. Order Firewood.  If you have a wood-burning fireplace, now is a good time to order a delivery of firewood for the season.  If you can, don’t store large quantities of wood directly against the house, which can encourage bugs & pests, but do keep it covered from moisture such as rain and snow.  IMG_0848
  7. Schedule to winterize your sprinkler system. When temperatures start to fall, it’s time to winterize your sprinkler system. Your lines must be drained or blown out before the first hard freeze as the sprinkler system can be damaged from below-freezing temperatures. 
  8. Add weather-stripping.  For old, drafty windows and doors, weather-stripping can help retain heat and stop drafts.  Check old weather-stripping to ensure it is working properly and help ensure window & door gaps are as sealed as possible for the upcoming cold days.

After all your hard work, plan to enjoy the wonderful season of fall!

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Real Estate Tip: Properly maintaining your HVAC systems, roof, & chimney will help avoid costly surprises at inspection objection if you are trying to sell your home.  If you have any questions related to preparing your home for sale, I would love to help.  Please contact me below.

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Stay On Top of Your Exterior Paint

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Just a few weeks ago, we had a painting company come retouch all the exterior paint on the house. It wasn’t the most glamorous way to spend money, but we knew it was important. I had begun to notice that some of the exterior paint was chipping and in some instances, there was exposed raw wood. Heading into winter, it was really important that we tackled this issue before it became a problem. Exposed raw wood has the potential to rot if it is exposed to moisture and rotten wood would be a much more expensive project than some paint touch-up. We had been pushing off this project since spring and although I probably could have found many more ways to spend this money, the peace of mind we now have was worth the expense!