Is Your Home Ready for Winter? 12 Things You Can Do to Prepare

Fall is here. What steps can you take now to protect your home from the upcoming winter? Every winter, the windy, cold wet weather damages thousands of Michigan homes. Don’t let yours be one of them. Hi, I’m Michele Shinedling from Heritage Real Estate and now that fall is in full swing, it’s the perfect time to prepare your home before winter’s icy conditions arrive. Here are some steps that you can take:
1. Let’s start with the foundation. Check all walls, floors, concrete, and masonry for cracking, or deterioration. If you can fit a dime into the crack, get it checked out!
2. Check the chimney for any loose, deteriorated, or missing mortar.
3. Clean the leaves out the rain gutters. Debris in your rain gutters will allow ice to build up and cause leaks.
4. Ensure proper drainage at least 6′ away from your house. Keep that foundation dry!
5. Up on the roof, check flashing around the vents, skylights, gables and other openings.
6. Trim back all tree limbs and vegetation away from the house.
7. Check all doors and windows for loose or deteriorating weatherstripping and caulking, especially between wood and masonry.
8. Have your furnace and fireplace cleaned and checked by a professional.
9. Change your furnace filter.
10. Winterize your AC by shutting off the breaker and preventing debris from getting into the unit.
11. Turn off any exterior plumbing connections and lawn sprinkler systems.
12. And last but not least, test all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
By doing these small things, you can save yourself some serious winter damage and increase the lifespan of your home. For more info, please feel free to contact me, and I would be happy to refer you to a home inspector who can make sure your home is winter-ready!
This is Michele Shinedling from Heritage Real Estate. Make it a great home buying and selling day, and remember, when you do what you love, people love what you do!