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With the beautiful Fall season approaching it is a good time to take stock of your home’s condition and prepare it for the Fall Real Estate Market.

If your home is on the market, there a few simple things that you can do to make sure your home remains in great showing condition. Here a few ideas:

Window washing: If you live in an old home like I did, every fall we had to switch the screens for the storms on the home. It is a perfect opportunity to wash the windows, whether by Windex sprayer at the end or your hose, or professionally. Making a first impression is important, and you would be surprised how dirt on the windows cuts down on the light in a home. Make your home as light and bright as it can be, so it stands out from the rest.

Check your gutters:  After the last leaf falls, make sure to clean your gutters, whether professionally done, or by yourself. Clean gutters and properly extended downspouts can make the difference between a wet basement and a dry one, and no buyer gets excited over signs of moisture in the basement. If you do not have gutters around your home, consider the investment. The inspectors that we work with indicate that gutters are the Number 1 way to keep water and moisture out of the house.

Sprinkler blow-out: When your service company calls to schedule the blow-out of your sprinkler lines, ask them to perform a check of the system, before they blow them out, to make sure that all the heads are running properly. Then, have them report on the condition in the invoice. Come winter, this is a great way to show a prospective buyer that the system is in good working order.

Pool closing: Like with the Sprinklers, when your service company calls to schedule the fall pool closing, ask them to perform a check of entire system before they close it for winter. Then, have them report on the condition in the invoice. This is a great way to show a prospective buyer that the system is in good working order. We are constantly amazed at how the uncertainty of a pool’s condition can cloud the negotiations on a home sale. Take the uncertainty out of the equation.

Mechanical maintenance: Fall is the perfect time to change & clean Air-to-Air Exchange filters, Aprilaire Humidifier filters, furnace filters, water purification filters, batteries to your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Minnesota State Fire Code now requires homes to have CO detectors within 10 feet of rooms used for sleeping. So, if you do not have one, go ahead and protect yourself and by doing so, remove an objection from a future buyer’s Inspection Report.

Vacant home insurance: If your home is on the market, and is vacant (whether staged or not), consider shutting off the water main, or winterizing your vacant home. Also, now is a good time to check in with your Insurance carrier. They likely have policies regarding damage and liability when a home is vacant. We have seen the devastating effects of water damage in winter. Make sure you are protected.

If you would like resources to accomplish these fall clean-up tasks, send us an email and we would be happy to provide resources that have been successful for our clients.