Fall is here, Kansas City homeowners!
With colder weather and fewer daylight hours on the way, now is the time to get your house prepped for the winter months. Here are some tips:
-
- Take care of trees and landscaping: The best time to trim trees and prune plants is late fall. Keep branches about three feet from your home to prevent damage and moisture from dripping and freezing onto roofing and siding. It’s also a great time to clean up your landscaping. Look for signs that some plants didn’t make it through the summer heat or bugs. You can get tips on pruning plants in your area from your state extension service.
- Remove hoses from outdoor faucets: This is a critical step, Kansas City homeowners. If you forget to disconnect your garden hoses from the outdoor spickets, you are asking for an indoor flood in the middle of winter when the water left behind freezes in the pipes and backs up into your home. To protect against minor leaks, just turn off shutoff valves on water supply lines that connect to exterior spickets. Don’t forget to drain your irrigation system, as buried water lines can freeze, too. Drain garden hoses and store them inside so they’ll be as good as new next year.
- Make exterior repairs now: Check your entire property now. Are you missing a few shingles due to summer storms? Now is the time to fix them, so snow and ice don’t cause trouble on your roof this winter. Seal up any foundation or concrete cracks. Schedule any maintenance you need before the busy season begins.
- Schedule a check up for your heating system: Schedule an appointment with a heating and cooling expert to get your heating system checked and tuned up for winter. They’ll clean your system and make sure it’s ready for the cold temps. Call now, before they get too busy. Also, don’t forget to change your furnace filters if you haven’t in a while.
- Seal gaps inside and outside: Get some caulk or weather stripping and go! Fill small holes and cracks to keep in warm heat and keep out cold air and critters looking for food. Apply weatherstripping around window and door frames to help keep warmth in and cut energy costs. Outside, use caulk to seal up any cracks between trim and siding, around windows and door frames, and where pipes and wires enter your home. Preventing moisture from getting inside your walls is the goal.
- Get your chimney prepped for use: Make sure your fireplace is safe, clean and ready to go. Check the flue to make sure the damper works properly and that it’s free of debris. If you can’t see daylight when you look up inside your chimney, you might need to take a closer look. You should clean creosote buildup off the flue at least every other year. Call a professional chimney company to help.
These steps should help get your home into great shape ahead of the winter weather. Kansas City homeowners, if you are considering selling your home within the next few months, this winter weather to-do list becomes much more critical so that your home will pass inspection. If you need any advice on buying or selling a home in the Kansas City area, Team RE is your local expert real estate team! Visit www.teamre.com to see how we can help you buy or sell a home today!