Furnace: - Set up a furnace check-up well before the cold weather starts, not only will it prevent the breakdown blues in the dead of winter, but it's much easier to get an appointment with your local furnace repairman before he gets busy. - Generally the filters should be checked every month and every three months for the high-efficiency models.You can save as much as five per cent on heating costs by ensuring your furnace is running as it should. - If you're considering changing your furnace, now is a good time to upgrade to a high-efficiency version. - If you have a gas fireplace, have this cleaned during your furnace inspection.
Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Detectors: - Test and replace batteries where necessary.
Doors & Windows: - Make sure they close properly and check for cool air seeping through. You can try lighting an incense stick and placing it near the opening, the smoke trail will indicate whether you have a draft. - Consider replacing any windows that are beyond repair. - Hang storm windows or insulate interior windows with heavy drapes or plastic. - Examine the rubber thresholds at the bottom of your doors, if they are dry and brittle, they may need to be replaced.
Thermostat: - You can save about 10 per cent on heating bills by turning your thermostat down 10 degrees at night. A programmable timer is a handy way to automatically do this, it also helps when your away from home for an extended time and want to keep the temperature down.
Hot Water Heater: - Save money and burn less energy by turning the thermostat down to low, during low use times. Some models have insulated blankets that fit over them to save heat.
Insulation: - Double check the insulation in your attic and add to it if needed. As a rule, if you have less than 12 inches of attic insulation, you could use more.
Prepare an Emergency Kit - Get some indoor candles and matches, and put new batteries in your flashlights in the event of a power failure. - Put the phone numbers for your utility companies near your phone or at the front of your phone book. - Buy a battery back-up to protect your computer. - Set up a shelf or bin and fill with bottled water, canned goods, dry food, pet food (don't forget about Fido), and a first-aid kit.
OUTDOORS
Chimneys: - Inspect for creosote buildup or other surprises which may have nested over the warmer months. A cap or screen is an easy way to prevent unwanted wildlife from pulling up stakes in your chimney. - Make sure your fireplace damper is closed when the fireplace is not running to prevent warm air from escaping. Firewood: - Arrange for a firewood delivery and have it stacked and ready to go.
Hoses: - Remove hoses from outside faucets and store them away.
Gutters: - Clean out your gutters and downspouts. You may consider installing leaf guards if you have a lot of trees on your property.
Christmas Lights: - Some people use this time to hook up Christmas decorations in those hard too reach places. For myself, however; I prefer to wait until it's bitter cold and snowing to put my lights up.
Exterior Walls: - Now is the time to caulk any leaks in your window frames, outside walls, water pipes or any other openings. - Use spray foam to insulate areas too large for caulking. - Inspect the mortar in brick homes and touch it up if necessary.
Equipment Servicing: - Relocate your lawnmower and drain the gas. - Tune-up your snow blowers.
Garden: - Clean and store your gardening equipment. - Trim any trees that are hanging close to the house or electrical wires. - Lift any bulbs or relocate any sensitive plants that may not survive the winter. - Purchase a bag of salt or sand and have it handy.
Sometimes it's hard to get motivated to do these types of jobs before we have to, but they can easily be completed over a weekend or two, and you'll be glad you did. It's much nicer to complete these chores on a sunny fall day than standing on a ladder in the dead of winter.
If you have just bought a home, new or resale, a house inspection service should be your next call. It's a seems odd, but you have little or no protection on the largest investment you will probably ever make. The house you just bought does not come with a guarantee, warranty or return policy, so your house inspection company offers about the only protection you can have and the services they provide can save you thousands of dollars and a lot of aggravation.
But, why do you need protection? First, most purchase offers placed on homes are conditional on a house inspection. A house can be home to a number of hidden problems that an inspection company can expose. While many problems are simple, such as plasterwork, painting or minor repairs, others can affect the value of your home. If you don't use a house inspection service and there is a chronic problem, like a basement leak, or if there is a problem that needs an expensive one time fix, repairs will be needed. If you paid what you believed to be the value of the house, then spend more on repair charges, you have indeed ended up spending more on the house than it is worth. You need a house inspection company to give you a clear idea of the condition of the home so you can properly assess the home's value.
Some new home buyers don't use a home inspection service because they feel, with a new home, what can go wrong ? especially since new homes have some protection against construction defects. Problems can arise once that protection expires. Suppose an underlying problem exists in a new home that only a home inspection company could spot. If left unchecked, the problem may not become an issue until new home warranties have expired. Then what do you do? You will be stuck with a problem you think is yours, but an earlier house inspection would have shown you it was the builders? fault ? and if you spotted it sooner, the builder would have been obliged to repair it.
The advantages of using a house inspection company before taking possession of a resale home are obvious. There's not enough space here to begin to outline the potential problems you might encounter in a house. While some might be obvious, like damaged roof shingles, others could be difficult to spot, or not even seem like a problem, until they erupt. Then you are faced with unexpected and costly repairs, all of which could be avoided by a house inspection service.
However, it is not only homebuyers who can benefit from the services of a house inspection company. It's good advice for home sellers to make sure they understand the true condition of their home before they put it on the market. There are two main advantages of a house inspection for sellers. First, it makes their home more attractive to buyers. As mentioned earlier, a house inspection is a condition of the vast majority of offers to purchase, so buyers will be more attracted to a home that has already had a house inspection service. It means the buyer won't need to have a house inspection done, which saves money.
The second main advantage of a house inspection service for sellers is perhaps the most important. Many sellers place offers on other houses, which are contingent on the sale of their home. When the seller receives an offer, it might trigger the deal on the other house to move forward. If a home inspection company then finds something major wrong with the seller's home, which proves to be a deal stopper, it could interfere with how quickly the sale closes, which means they may lose the opportunity on the other house. By using a home inspection service before they go to market, buyers eliminate the possibility of surprises later that could ruin other deals.
The results of a house inspection could also affect the value of the home for the seller. If the service finds the house in particularly good condition, or if house inspections service causes repairs that enhance the value of the home, it could affect the price of the home.
Allmax Home Inspections is a house inspection company and service with the experience, qualifications and customer service you need to know you are getting the best protection.
Both Justin Lee & Realart are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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