Your End-of-Summer Home Maintenance Checklist

As the lazy days of summer start winding down, it’s time for homeowners to shift their focus to preparing their homes for the changing seasons ahead. The end of summer is a crucial time to complete essential maintenance tasks that will not only help protect the value of your home, but also preserve the equity you’ve built up.

Inspecting your home’s systems and addressing issues now can save you headaches and money down the line. Plus, getting these chores checked off your to-do list before the winter months will give you peace of mind.

To help you get started, here’s a comprehensive end-of-summer home maintenance checklist and how it can benefit your home’s equity:

Outdoor Home Maintenance Tasks

• Clean out your home’s gutters and downspouts to ensure proper drainage as the rainy season approaches. Clogged gutters can lead to water damage that depreciates your home’s value over time.
• Inspect your roof for any cracked, curled, or missing shingles, and make necessary repairs before small problems turn into big leaks. A well-maintained roof protects the structure and preserves your home’s equity.
• Trim back any trees or shrubs that are growing too close to your home’s siding or windows. This landscaping work not only improves curb appeal, but also prevents damage.
• Clean and store any outdoor furniture, tools, or equipment you won’t be using in the colder months. A brief effort before the weather changes can preserve valuable investments for years!

Indoor Home Maintenance Tasks

• Schedule a tune-up for your home’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Ensuring your HVAC is clean and running efficiently can lower your energy bills and reduce wear-and-tear on the system. It can pay off in the long-run to extend the life of this essential part of your home with routine maintenance.
• Inspect your fireplace and chimney, and have them professionally cleaned if needed. Addressing issues with these features now can help you avoid future, costly repairs and possibly even prevent a disastrous fire.
• Check that all your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working properly. Replace the batteries if needed. These and other safety features are attractive to future buyers and maintain your home’s appeal. Your home insurance company likely provides policy discounts for some security and safety systems.
• Insulate any exposed pipes, seal any air leaks around windows and doors, and take other steps to improve your home’s energy efficiency. These upgrades can increase your home’s market value over time.

For more substantial projects, consider using your home’s equity to finance necessary repairs and upgrades. A Thompson Kane home equity loan or line of credit can provide the funds needed to complete larger projects that preserve – or even increase – your home’s value. Our home financing experts are always available and happy to help you understand your options.

While home maintenance may not be exciting, it pays off by protecting your home’s value in the long run. Completing these end-of-summer chores can protect your home’s value, improve energy efficiency, and prevent costly (and inconvenient) repairs in the future – all of which help maintain the equity you’ve built in your most significant financial asset.

So carve out some time in your schedule to work through this checklist – your wallet and peace of mind will thank you.