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Award-winning Florida real estate Broker PROUDLY SELLING IN PINELLAS, HILLSBOROUGH, PASCO, MANATEE & SARASOTA COUNTIES since 2004.

4 Home Maintenance Tasks You Shouldn’t Put Off

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Let’s face it, no one enjoys doing home maintenance. In a perfect world, your home would take care of itself and you’d never have to worry about leaks or mowing the lawn. Since we’re not living in a perfect world and the future doesn’t promise self-maintaining homes, we’re left to do the work. Preventative maintenance doesn’t need to be a huge project; in fact it can help avoid the need for a huge repair. We have four areas that you should focus on to keep your home in the best condition possible.

Roof

Since the roof is such an important part of your home, many people are intimidated by the thought of maintaining it. Roof maintenance isn’t that involved though. Keeping it free of loose debris, such as branches and leaves, is an easy task with a ladder on a dry day. You should also inspect your roof on regular intervals, once every season is best. If shingles or tiles are loose or broken, replace them before they deteriorate further and let in moisture.

4 Home Maintenance Tasks You Shouldn't Put Off

Gutters

You may not think gutters are important to your home’s overall maintenance but they are. They direct water away from your home, which protects both the appearance of your home but also its frame. Gutters, downspouts, and soffits should also be cleaned of debris as often as needed. If your downspouts are flowing away from your house this can cause water to pool around your home’s foundation and be a recipe for water damage and an invitation for insects to breed. Extensions can be purchased at any local hardware store and are easy to install.

Foundation

Another intimidating item for homeowners is the foundation. It’s literally what your home is built on so many believe it takes a professional to maintain but there are steps you can take on your own. Inspecting your foundation for any cracks often and have them repairs as soon as possible. Make sure the ground around your foundation drains away and not toward the house. Reduce expansion and contraction of your foundation by keeping the surrounding soil moisture level and your inside temperature consistent. If you have trees, large bushes, or vines near your home, make sure that the root systems are pushing towards the foundation.

Systems

No doubt you know that a home is more than just four walls and roof. All of the interior systems should be regularly inspected and maintained. These systems include your HVAC, plumbing, and electrical. Making sure filters are changed in your heater and air conditioner units allow the systems to run more efficiently and extend the life of the system. Look for small leaks in your plumbing can help you resolve a small issue before it become a nightmare. Electrical systems can affect more than just the lights in your house. Make sure your outlets and switches are in good condition, the demand your placing on your breaker is within its capacity, and your appliances are also in good working order.

As you can see these four areas cover the majority of your home. If regularly maintained, you can prevent the need for unexpected major repairs. Regular maintenance also goes a long way in securing a top dollar offer when the time comes to sell your home.

Tips For Closing Your Pool For the Season

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While the temperatures may still be warm, summer is quickly winding down and fall with its cooler temperatures will be here before you know. Don’t let closing your pool become an afterthought. Having a pool is a huge investment in your home and one that needs proper maintenance in order to avoid it becoming a huge problem. Closing your pool isn’t as intimidating a project as many homeowners think either. Follow our tips for a smooth closing and good winter maintenance.

Tips-For-Closing-Your-Pool

  • Treat your water. Five to seven days before closing your pool, test your water and then treat it accordingly to bring the calcium, pH, and alkalinity into the correct range. Shock the pool with chlorine to kill any bacteria. Let the chlorine levels come back down to normal range before proceeding with your closing.
  • Clean and clear your pool. Scrub the walls of the pool and then vacuum the pool. This will help keep algae at bay and make opening easier. Remove all accessories such as ladders, handrails, slides, vacuums, etc. from the pool and store them in a shed or garage away from the winter elements.
  • Lower your water level. Using your filter or a separate pump, reduce the water level to below the skimmer. In the event of freezing, this will provide enough room for the water to expand without damaging your pool.
  • Backwash and drain your filter system. Backwashing the filter will remove all the water in the filter. Drain all of the water lines and blow them out using an air compressor.
  • Cover the pool. Using a solid, opaque cover for your pool keeps debris out of the water and reduces the ability of algae to form in the water. It also helps keep unwanted guests, namely children and animals, out of the water although you should still practice proper pool safety even in the off season.

Closing your pool the correct way will allow for an easier opening once temperatures warm back up in the spring and allow you to enjoy your pool sooner.

Home Security During the Holiday Season

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The holidays are upon us!  For many of us that means, we’ll be in and out of our homes rushing to stores for gifts and then out to parties and gatherings for what feels like the entire month of December.  Some people will even be away from their homes for visits with far away relatives and friends.  And while you’re enjoying your time away from home, burglars are in their busy season.  In fact, as of 2012, the FBI reported that 400,000 burglaries take place between the months of November and December.  Between the draw of newly gifted electronics and jewelry and the higher likelihood that home owners won’t be home, burglars are ready to reap the rewards.  Whatever your plans for the holiday season are, keep home security at the top of your priority list.

Home Security During the Holidays

  1. Lights.  Keeping your home lit at night is a great deterrent for thieves.  Not many are willing to take a chance that you many not be home even if the lights are on.  Automatic timers are an inexpensive and reliable way to make sure your lights are turned on even if you’re not there.  Make sure your outside lights over doorways and garages are also on.  If you live in a secluded area or have a large property you may want to consider motion detecting lights.
  2. Lock Up.  It seems like a very obvious suggestion and it is but many people may forget to lock the backdoor or garage if they’re in a hurry to get out the door.  It’s also a good practice to look the door once you’ve entered your home.  Make sure you check to make sure your windows and sliding doors are locked.
  3. Keep Your Outside Clear.  Make sure your hedges and bushes are trimmed and not crowding around your doorways; this will prevent providing a hiding spot for a would-be burglar.  Store ladders and step stools inside your home, garage, or a locked shed when not in use.
  4. Reduce visibility.  Keep your electronics and other valuable possessions out of direct view of windows.  If you’re traveling, you may want to consider removing TVs, computers, and other equipment to an interior room so that it can’t be seen from the outside.
  5. Traveling.  You’ll want to be extra cautious before you travel during the holidays.  Limit the amount of information you share about your vacation online and with anyone who isn’t “need-to-know”.  Continue to using automatic lights and security systems as you normally would.  If you’ll be gone longer than a weekend, consider having your mail and newspaper deliveries stopped for the duration of your trip.  You can also contact your local police department to see if they’ll provide security checks on vacant homes.

Don’t become lax in your home security procedures during non-holiday months either.  Burglars usually rely on an opportunity to present itself before striking their target.  If you maintain your home’s security throughout the year, you’ll be less likely to become a victim.

Fall Home Maintenance

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Changing seasons is a perfect time to inspect your home and address some of its larger maintenance needs.  Don’t stress though all of the items listed below are ones that you can take care of yourself in just a few hours during the weekend and tools you already have in your possession.

Roof.  Find a sturdy ladder and climb up on your roof to give it a good inspection. You want to make sure there are no loose or broken shingles, if there are replace them.  Check the chalking around the chimney and vents; any dry, cracked, or missing chalk should be replaced.  Check to make sure the screen over your chimney is secure and if you don’t have one get one immediately to prevent small animals from making a home out of your home.

Gutters.  While you’re on the roof, give your gutters a once over.  Remove any leaves or debris. That build up over the winter can prevent rain water from draining properly.  Make sure your gutters are also secured.  If you’re feeling ambitious, you can install gutter guards to help keep the debris out.  You can find gutter guards at your local hardware store.

Landscaping. Remove any debris and dead plants from your flower beds and yard. Rake leaves from your yard and dispose of them according to your local government’s laws. Inspect remaining plants, flowers, bushes,Autumn flower bed and trees for signs of disease or severe damage. Trim back bushes and trees. Add new mulch to your flower beds and around trees. Add new plants that are currently in season and plant perennials.

Windows.  Take a look at your windows from both inside and outside.  Repair any tears in the screens and replace any weather stripping that is dry rotted, broken, or missing.  Make sure your windows open and close smoothly and the locks are in working order.  Properly secure any shutters.

Paint. Take a walk around your home and look for any peeling paint or stains.  For peeling paint, sand the area and repaint, two coats should be more than enough.  For stains first try a solution of warm water and dish soap and scrub the affected area with a scrub brush.  If that doesn’t work or the area is too big, try pressure washing.  If all else fails you can repaint the area.  If you’ve been putting off painting the exterior, the cooler fall weather is the perfect time to do it.

Fire and Carbon monoxide Safety.  You should test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors every month.  Smoke detectorTake the time at least twice a year to clean the units using the crevice attachment on your vacuum cleaner and replace the batteries, even if the detector is hardwired.  Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors save lives.

 

All of these projects take very little time and money to complete but will keep you and your family safe and your home running as efficiently as possible throughout the winter months.