How to Prepare Your Home for The Fall

One of the many joys of homeownership includes making sure your property is adequately prepared for any and all seasons! Here’s a comprehensive list of things to make sure you do as fall rolls around.

1. Take Care of Your Lawn

Now that the fall is here, you’ll want to take some extra steps to keep your lawn in check. A good dethatching will help to clear the dead away. Follow that up with replanting areas that have grown dry or thin, and spreading grass seed around the lawn. A nice fall lawn fertilizer will go a long way as well!

2. Clean the Gutters

Not taking care of your gutters can result in expensive and obnoxious repairs down the line. Be sure to get them professionally cleaned and replaced if needed!

3. Trim Branches

As hurricane season and snow season approaches, now is a good time to check your yard for potentially damaging tree branches. Trim any that could fall down with strong winds or heavy rain/snow.

4. Test Generators

You don’t want to find out your generator isn’t working in the middle of the next big hurricane. Do yourself a favor and test out any generators that you have now, before the storms hit. It’s also a good idea to look over any solar panels or other power sources you have at this time.

5. Fill Gas Tanks

We suggest having about 25 gallons of gas on hand at all times – but this is especially important as the weather cools down and becomes more active. 

6. Close The Pool

If you have a pool, now is the time to clean it properly and close it up. Don’t skip steps here – closing the pool correctly will prevent you from dealing with major issues when you go to open it up in the summer.

7. Get Snow Supplies

Fall is the time to make sure your winter supplies are on hand. Make sure you have salt for the driveway, shovels, window scrapers for your car, and of course, outdoor gear (coat, gloves, etc.).

8. Keep the Drafts Away!

Start now before it gets too cold! You can keep your home insulated by removing any outdoor A/C units, checking windows and door frames for leaks, installing storm windows, and running a maintenance check on your insulation. You can easily find weather strips to help firm up any leakage issues you may have. 

9. Battery Check

The fall is the perfect time to replace batteries in your thermostat, fire alarm, and CO2 alarm. Trust us – you don’t want to be stuck in the cold with a broken thermostat when it gets colder. Take care of it now.

10. Cover, Clean, and Put Away Outdoor Furniture

That nice patio set will last you longer if you take care of it at the end of every season. Clean it off, cover it up, and put it away in the garage or basement to protect it from the stormy seasons ahead. Additionally, be sure to clean and cover up your grill so it’s ready to go come spring!

11. Winterize Water Lines

Anything that handles water outdoors will need to be prepped for the cold weather. Disconnect hoses from faucets, and clear all the water out of sprinklers, hoses, and any other outdoor pipes. After all water has been cleared, shut these pipes off until warmer weather returns.

These simple steps will help you keep your home in top shape as you prepare for the fall! You can print our free checklist here to make sure you don’t forget a thing.

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