Lee Morof's Real Estate Blog

Leaves are starting to change color, nights are getting cooler and pumpkins are appearing on porches of Bloomfield Hills homes.  All signs that fall is here.

That means it’s time to do fall preventative maintenance on all Bloomfield Hills homes.  To help you get started, here’s a quick checklist:

• Have a professional heating contractor inspect your Bloomfield Hills home’s heating system.  An annual furnace inspection ensures that your heating system is operating at peak efficiency and most importantly that it is running safely.

• Replace your furnace filter.  Furnace filters need to be replaced frequently to allow your heating system to operate properly.

• Hire a certified chimney sweep clean.  Have him inspect your wood burning stove or fireplace and clean the chimney.

• Check your home for water damage.  Look for water stains on the ceilings or leaks under the bathroom and kitchen sinks.  This minor water damage may seem trivial, but can lead to real problems, like a weakened roof or rotten boards.

• Prepare your pipes.  Every year, approximately a quarter-million families have their homes ruined due to water pipes that freeze and burst.  Prepare your pipes, both inside and outside, before the cold weather hits.  Caulk around pipes where they enter your Bloomfield Hills home.  Insulate pipes in unheated areas.  If you have a separate valve for outside faucets, shut it off.  If you don’t have a separate valve to turn off outside faucets, wrap outside faucets or hose bibs.

• Tend your garden tools and equipment.  Run all lawn equipment until the gas is gone.  This removes flammable liquid from your garage.  Drain water from garden hoses and sprinklers.  Clean shovels, hoes, trowels and spades

• Inspect your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.  Replace batteries and clean the alarms if needed.

• Examine caulking.  To prevent water from seeping into the sub-floor, inspect and repair the caulking around your bathroom fixtures.  To reduce heat loss, inspect and repair the caulking around doors, windows and outlets.

Want more home maintenance tips like these?  Subscribe to my blog now.  It’s free, fast and easy.  Or, email me at info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com, and I’ll set up your free subscription for you.

Lee Morof
Associate Broker/Attorney
RE/MAX Showcase Homes
Birmingham, Michigan
www.NorthWoodwardHomes.com
info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com
Call:  248-514-2640