Fall is the season to get your home ready before colder weather settles in. A few practical tasks now can help prevent winter headaches and make your property safer, warmer, and easier to maintain.
Start outside. Once snow arrives, small exterior issues can be harder to see and harder to fix. Walk around your home and look for anything that should be repaired before freezing temperatures.
Useful fall tasks include:
Think about safety. Make sure walkways, steps, and railings are secure before ice becomes an issue. Replace burnt-out bulbs near entrances, garages, and side yards. If you use ice melt, store it somewhere easy to access.
Inside the home, test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. If you have a furnace, fall is a good time to change the filter and consider servicing the system before it is working hard every day.
Protect against moisture. Downspouts should move water away from the foundation. Check grading where possible and make sure snow melt will not drain toward the house.
Fall maintenance is easier than emergency winter repairs.
If you are planning to sell during the winter, fall prep can also improve buyer confidence. A clean, safe, well-maintained exterior sends the message that the home has been cared for in every season.