October 2, 2025 • 42 mins
Get your home ready for the chilly months ahead with our ultimate fall maintenance checklist! From sealing up small gaps that critters love to sneak through to tackling those “easy to forget” tasks like shutting off outdoor water lines and checking the attic—this episode walks you through practical, doable steps to protect your home.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You are listening to the Remax real Estate Insights Show
where you get real talk by real agents. Walk to
you by Remas of Southeastern Michigan. Hello and welcome to
the Remax real Estate Insights Podcast. We're happy to have
you joining us today. My name is Janete Schneider. I'm
your host, and today we're going to go through a
checklist for fall home maintenance tips. Normally I would start
(00:24):
this topic off saying fall us here the aras cris
leaves are changing. But when we're recording this, which is
the last couple of days of September, er really hasn't
been so crisp. It's been more summer like. And while
there's a little bit of leaf changing, not as much
as we normally see. Yeah, lo true. But nonetheless, we
know fall is coming. So we are going to walk
(00:46):
through a fall home maintenance checklist that's going to help
you protect the investment that your home really is. Hopefully
it's going to help you save some money on your
energy bills, keep your home cozy and safe in the
upcoming more brutal winter season now coming. So from everything
from cleaning out the gutters to checking your furnace, we've
got you covered with some practical tips that you can
(01:07):
actually tackle without feeling overwhelmed. Joining me to dive into
this uh I guess annual topic is Pambalante, our marketing
director for Remacs of Southeastern Michigan. Thanks for joining us,
Pama hither, thanks for having me my pleasure. So, as
I alluded to at the beginning, we've had this unusually
summer like weather. Are you, like, is your house decorated
(01:28):
for follow? You ready for follow you? Are you trying
to get to follow? Are you embracing what we've got?
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Well?
Speaker 3 (01:33):
I love putting out the fall decre the pumpkins that
you know on the on the porch, hey, and you
know saw that, But because it's been so nice, like,
I can't, Yeah, I just can't.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
In my mind it doesn't work.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Yes, I feel like I should be putting out July
fourth decorations.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Yes, not great.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
So we're just out of town last week and I
actually bought some fall you know decorations, like some pumpkins
and some little things like that, and I was like,
you know, I was excited when I bought them, but
I'm like, it just doesn't seem Yeah, I.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Still have all your flat is hot pink and all that.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
You know, Yeah, eighty degrees and the windows are open.
It just seems like it's a little a little off.
But again, we know that we know the season's coming.
So given that, we're going to kick off the show
with kind of an exterior essentials portion, and this is
going to go along because there's a lot to do
on the outside of your house. We start on the
outside because you know, fall is a season where your
(02:23):
home's exterior really needs some TLC. If you skip paying
attention to this step, you're basically inviting Winner to show
up un announced at your party. And Winner is a
pretty rude guest. I mean, it's it can do some damage, right, Yeah,
And so this is why we're going to start on
the exterior because there's so many things to kind of
pay attention to. First up are going to be gutters
(02:44):
and down spouts. Now, if you're like me, no one
gets really excited about this. This isn't a topic that goes,
oh yay, this is what I want to talk about.
But they can cause water backups that aren't cheap to fix.
So people should grab a ladder and get going, right.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Yeah, they should really get up there and look at
the gutters. That's a great place to start, because if
you're not on top of those cloud gutters, you're just
asking for water damage. Remember, their job is to take
that water away from from the foundation to a good
drainage area. So, you know, if they're not cleaned, if
there's materials building up in the gutter channel, you know, leaves,
(03:18):
you know that type of thing, different debris, the water
is going to have nowhere to go, and then ultimately
ultimately is going to overflow on your you know, foundation,
you know that type of thing. So and now you're
looking at you know, possible leaky roofs, leaking or flooded basements,
rotted wood, maybe cracks in the foundation. All of those
are very expensive to repair.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Well, I mean, and all stem from something that's pretty
easy to keep on top of. Yeah, for the for
the most Yeah, for the for the for the most part.
So water by itself is enough of a headache, but
once the temperature drops, those cloud gutters can cause ice
build up, you know, and that then tends to run
into your driveway or you know, walkways, and that's when
cracks and damage starts showing up in those type of
(03:58):
places as well. Which also wasn't fun m And you.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Know, that goes back to our point that you know,
you don't think about your gutters, but that really is,
you know, something that you should be looking at, you
know again, because they're draining thousands of gallons you know,
from your roof every year. So I think we just
kind of take those gutters for granted that they're going
to do their job, you know, so, but we have
to help them along a little bit, you know.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Yeah, as absolutely, and if you.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
You know, also if you're up there cleaning now, and
actually not too many leaves have started falling yet, you know.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
No, I mean there are some, I mean some. And
it was kind of interesting because we were going for
a walk. Yes it was yesterday over the weekend, and
like a neighbor's house across the street has a crew
you know that comes in and does it, and they
were doing the whole blowing of you know, some leaves
out of the yard and they're all blowing across the street.
I'm like, uh, hello, but you don't get to bowm
into my eyes.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Yeah this works. Yeah, it just made more work for
me exactly.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
But I guess keep in mind that, you know, if
if maybe in the next few weeks someone's going up there.
I had to clean get those leaves out of there,
probably a another month or so because there's gonna be
leaves that are still falling. So you know, maybe one
more time. Yes, closer to the chillier temperature.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Absolutely, And I know, like and for those of you
that listen, you know regularly, you know, I moved in
the last year, you know and a half. But our
old house, we had a tree that there would be
snow on the ground and the leaves were still falling.
I mean, so, yeah, there are some species that are
very late and dropping. So to your point, it may
not be a one and done. It might be a
now and later.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Yeah, now and later. Yeah, that's it. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
So and here's a little tip. If you know you're
not necessarily in love with cleaning the gutters, you know,
buy your hands, even with like yard gloves on or
something like that. You can grab an old plastic spatul up.
It makes the job a little easier. You can just
kind of put that in there and you know, just
kind of shove it through there, and it makes the
job a little bit easier. It's it's still not necessarily
going to be glamorous work, but it's a little bit
(05:50):
more of a do it yourself friendly way of going
about it. Already, since you already have the ladder out,
it's the perfect time to check the roof as well.
So what should people be looking for up there? Yeah,
so start with your shingles. If your roof is older,
or if you've had storms with hail or strong winds recently,
look for shingles that are missing, flipped, punctured, or cracked.
(06:12):
Also clear off any branches or debris that might have
landed up there. This all, you know, again, may seem small,
but this these are things that can cause damage over time.
It really can. And even from the ground, even if
you're not up on the roof, I mean, because for
some people, you know, the roof is relatively easy to
access a ranch style home, you know, something like that,
if you have a home that has the higher ceilings
and it's a little bit i mean, you know, throwing
(06:34):
the ladder up there may be a little bit daunting, yeah,
you know, type of a thing. But there are some
things that you can look at from the ground as well.
If you're sweeping up a lot of granules on your driveway,
or your patio or your deck, you know, wherever it
is you're noticing them. That can mean your shingles are
wearing all that is a sign you probably for sure
want to go check out what's going on.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Yeah, yeah, we did.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Exp I mean, we had the roof we have now
we've had for many years, but at the time that
we were getting ready to replace it, that's exactly what
we saw. Those granules everywhere, all over the driveway, deck,
all that type of thing.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
So yeah, you know, so that's true.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
And then also while you're out there, don't forget to
check the flu in the chimney. Same thing you're looking for,
loose or broken joints, damage, flash flashing, anything that might
let water in, you know, because you got those water
and freeze saw cycles that you know again.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Could cause expensive repairs. Common theme there.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Yeah, and and Pam knows because she works with me
that expensive repairs has been the name of the game
for me this year. We've discovered a lot of things
in while we just talked about the granules and you
saw that as a as an issue on your roof.
We bought this house, had an inspection done and that
didn't come up as an issue. Yet we had a leak,
oh yeah, and had to replace the roof this year.
(07:46):
So granules, I think our are for sure a tell tale,
for sure, a tell tale. But if your roof's getting
a little long into the tooth, you know, it may
not be at the end of its, you know, anticipated
life cycle. I think it's really worth going up there
and checking some things out and seeing, because you know better,
better to know before you have a bigger.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Bigger problem for me.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
But yeah, you know, you know, yeah, and it was
your leak near the chimney.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
It was, and it was I guess that we're not
oh shoot, I forget the name of it. My husband
would know. There's a weird way like in the attic.
There's some kind of bend joint whatever you want to
call it. And it was like right there, that's that's
where I guess.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
The issue was. Okay, okay, so there you go.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
So there you go. Yeah, and while and again, while
you're up there, and especially if it is relatively easy
to get up on your roof and check the chimney
cap as well, this can be an area if it's
if you don't have kind of like a covering over it,
you know, squirrels, birds, bats, you other other things can
get into your house deciding that your fireplace looks a
(08:47):
lot like a lot cozier space to spend the winter
than where they're going to spend it. So small critters
can be cute, but you don't want them, You don't
want them living living there, So you want to check
that out as well.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
Yeah, check that out, you know, and going back to
you while you're up there, and if you do discover
that your roof does need shingles, don't wait too long.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Asphalts.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
Shingos do need to be replaced in tempts between forty
and eighty five degrees in order to seal properly. So
if it's too cold, the HESI wone stick and then
you're gonna have to wait until spring. So probably right
now is the time to get up there.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
And I mean that would be a really good time
because you're still within them. I mean, and I know
that there are some companies that say that they do
it all season long, and maybe there's some products that
go to that, but I mean historically this is you know,
there is a good window.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
To do that. Yeah, yeah, absolutely, we know.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Now we don't really often spend a lot of time
investigating our route. But you know, we've been talking about
it because it's literally what keeps out the rain, the snow,
the ice and everything else. So it you know, this
is why we spend some time saying, hey, when you're
up there doing you know, dealing with gutters and down spouts,
it's the next thing that you should take a look at.
And then while you're outside, it's smart to give your
(09:53):
siding kind of a glance and a once over as well.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
Yeah, yeah, I gotta look at your siding as well,
look for cracks, gaps, any damage that needs to be addressed,
and pay special attention to the corners of your home
because that's where the damage tends to start. And then again,
you know common theme here, fixing that early could prevent
expensive repairs down the road.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Yeah, because another for those of you keeping track, another
household project that we had to do recently was to
replace a handful of windows on the back of the house.
And of course, you know, any good home construction crew
is going to look at other things when they're out
at your house because they're looking for future business. And
apparently I am a gold mine for people this year
and they were finding that. You know, they were just
(10:34):
pointing out. The siding is fine, you know, the long
pieces themselves, but some of the joints, some of the
joint work, you know, where the joints come together, could
use some calking and could use a little attention. So
I mean, in addition to kind of what you talked about,
there's details there too, right, there's kind of the big picture.
Is there a hole in the sidings or signing flapping?
(10:55):
Is there something going on? But then where there's the
seams and the joints, look at those as well.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Yeah, yeah, maybe though is more than anything.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Yeah, because that's you know, the whole water always wins. Well,
that's where something could get in. It's that most of
us notice a big gaping hole in our siding, right right,
But it's the little things that you know, you know,
you walk past it every day and don't see it exactly,
and that's where your future future problems, your problems are
going to be.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
So, as we mentioned earlier, you know, critters, you know,
like to find warm places, and they find them in small,
very small gaps and holes. Chipmunks, mice, other little you know,
they need the time. I mean sometimes like the size
of a dime, you know, or or to get into things.
And as temperatures do start to drop, they're going to
be looking for a warm spot. So you want to
seal up any you know, small holes and gaps. Now,
(11:40):
whether that's insiding the foundation, whatever it is, it's much
easier to keep them out to begin with than to
get them out once they've come inside.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
Absolutely, And you know, you and I haven't had a
chance to talk about this, but I did recently have
an exterminator come to our house just for kind of
like a quarterly like inside, Wow, it's just a little
maintenance there or whatever. But he just came out, I
think it was last week, and same thing. He called
me outside and he's like, I want to show you something.
(12:11):
And on the side of our garage kind of like
the weather stripping that goes down the side of the garage.
We at the very bottom there was little nibble marks.
Oh really, and some nesting material like.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
That was they were starting to make it.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
They were trying to you know, nest into our garage
and stuff. So so of course, you know, had to
pay for it. But he put out some mouse traps
and then he took me around the house and showed
me all the places where they can get in so
to your point, like a dime size and all that. Yeah,
and one place to really look, I think is where
your water meter goes into your house. And he did
recock that for us because as time goes on that cock. Yeah,
(12:49):
so there was a little bit of gaping there. And
then also we're like the air conditioning unit, you know,
the pieces that like go into the house, like it
was gaping there. So he sealed that for us as well.
But he he was shown me. He literally take me
on the house, the whole house. You know, they could
hear here, and I'm like, seal that up right now.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
So it was like Oprah for mice and you get
a home, and you get a home, and yeah, there's
all these different entry country points.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
So so so it is it is very important, I think,
to take that moment to walk around your house and
look at those areas. And I was really surprised, like
we're the water meter and stuff, because I never look
at that.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
No, well typically I don't. But again, we've had gas
leaks at the house, so I bet I've been outside
and had DT come out and you know, they we
were looking at the meter for a different reason. We
were looking to see if gas was still leaking. Okay,
but yeah, short of that, I don't pay attention to
those meters. They're automatically read, you know, not a big deal.
But now I will be looking when I go take
(13:47):
a walk tonight, you know, after dinner, I will make
sure that I turn my head and I look at
the yah, check it out because with your situation with
my law, yeah, you're gonna have to fill that. I'll
have all I'll have all sorts of people in there
look looking for a home.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
So let's talk a little bit about something we walk
on every day. But thanks for sharing before we do that,
Thanks for sharing that, because I think it's very interesting
most of us. I can certainly say, I don't know
that I've ever had somebody come out like before this
time of the season, specifically with an eye looking for
that type of stuff and then being kind of enough
to point out to you, hey, look at this, Hey
look at that. You know, here's entry points. I think
(14:23):
that was a really good tidbit to share.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
Yeah, yeah, for sure. And it was shocking to see
those nibble marks too. So I mean, that's another thing
to look for, you know, on your weather's dipping stuff,
look for nibble marks, because that's clearly.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
You've got activity. Yeah, you've got activity there, all right.
So now let's talk about something we walk on every day,
which is driveways and walkways. What should homeowners be checking
for when it comes to this as falls coming into place?
Speaker 3 (14:47):
Yeah, as fall as coming in. One thing that homeowners
should do is pull any weeds. If grass or weeds
have popped up in the cracks of your driveway sidewalk,
you know, pull them out because you're you know, chances
are you might want to into sealing the gaps. So
before you can seal those gaps, you do want to
you know, have all the the you know, the weeds out.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Well.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
I guess cracks are the one thing that you are
looking for, you know, because water can seep in during
the fall rains, and once temperatures drop and and it freezes,
then water is going to expand. And that's how small
cracks turn into big expensive problems.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
Are getting our theme.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
Get it of small catch it now kind of like
your healthy catch things. When it's small, it prevents it
from being bigger. Ye and you know, safety, like you mentioned,
is a factor. You know, uneven spots, you know, or
larger cracks. You know, they start out as like maybe
small cracks were it's still even. But as time goes
and cracks becomes wider than there there's usually that you know,
one side of the driver or their walkway is a
(15:43):
little taller than the other, right, and now it becomes
you know, tripping hazards. And especially when you start to
have ice and snow on the ground and you can't
see that, you know, or it's maybe it's maybe hidden
a little bit more. And you know, this is the
time of the year. We have people, you know, starting
to come to your house for different holiday events. You
don't want to them falling. So what's the best way
to handle them? You know, when you're starting to see
maybe some little cracks, what's the best way for folks
(16:03):
to handle that.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
Yeah, so you know, for the small cracks, you can
use a DIY patching compound that seems to work very well.
For bigger ones, or if you notice the heaving or
serious damage like you just said, you know, that's probably
when a professional you know, professional repair is a better
choice just because they they have the skill set right
and the deals and all that to do that, you know,
(16:27):
and then again going back to you know, the debris
and stuff, make sure that you do get leaves and
debris off of your your you know, you're concrete and
all that because moisture trapped under any of that leaves
and debris can make that freeze and thaw worse. So
just something else to think about.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
I mean, and you don't really I mean you think
about raking the grass, yeah, you know, right, I mean
people will use blowers or rake or whatever you use,
but that it needs to get off that surface as well.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
Sure, yep, yep exactly, So that guy that was blowing.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
It, just don't blow them into my yard. Yeah, someplace cells.
So in short, you want to you know, inspect, you
want to clean, you want to patch early. Because again
a little attention now, you know, saves a lot of headache.
And we put together a little fall home maintenance checklist.
So as we're going through these tips today, if you
think it'd be handy, you know, to kind of have
a little checklist that you can kind of follow along
(17:17):
with at home, you can email us at info at
Remax dash Se, Michigan. Like for Southeast se Michigan dot
com and we'd be happy to send that send that
out to you. Continuing on what kind of our exterior
essentials portion of the checklist, now is the perfect time
to talk about your you know, your yard, your lawn,
your garden, and getting all of those ready for the
(17:39):
colder months. And I think the first thing to check
is your trees. You want to kind of look up,
are there any dead branches or limbs. Trimming them now
or getting them out now puts you in control. Otherwise
the wind is going to be in control, or ice
is going to be in control, because we know they're coming.
We know we've got windy days. We know at some
point we're going to have an ice storm or two
(18:00):
and it's going to bring them down if you don't,
So why don't you take control of it so it
doesn't it doesn't bring down a power line, or it
doesn't land on a car, you know, or something else
that could cause far more you know, headache for.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
You, yep, exactly.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
And you know this is also a good time to
look for those bear spots in your lawn and patch them.
And I don't know about you, I know your properties
maybe a little bit different, but it was so dry,
like you know, most incredibly you know that we actually
have these dry dead spots in our lawn now. So
I was, you know, yeah, thinking about this episode, I
(18:32):
was like, oh, yeah, like the checklist, Yeah, I'm a
checklist now. But because you know, you want to take
care of that. If you skip it, you're basically leaving
the door open for weeds to take over in the spring,
and nobody wants that.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
So and then also we're talking about the leaves.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
Don't let those leaves it on your grass because you
know that's going to you know, just again cause fungus
invite past disease, that type of thing. And also one
more thing for that last mold of the season, cut
your grass a little bit shorter than usual. That helps
prevent snow mold, which is that fungus and that can
pop up you know, after it thaws. And if the
(19:11):
grass is too long and you know mad at that,
you're gonna have some issues.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
No, and we're gonna definitely need to do something with
bear spots because we had had some grading work done
late last summer and they did put seed down, but
I don't think it took real well. And then you said,
it's been so dry that it's been a really harsh environment,
and there's a lot of spots like up where they
did that. I mean, it's going to need to almost
be redone, I think the second time, and falls a
great time to do that. So that's on our to
(19:36):
do list as well.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
On the list.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
Plants and shrubs also require some attention in the fall.
If you if you added or upgraded any landscaping, now's
a good time to to think about how you're going
to protect it so everything comes back nice and healthy
in the spring. You know, first you can start by
removing any dead or decaying plant matter. It's not uncommon
to have some stuff not make it, you know, so
trim this stuff that didn't make it. But you've added
(20:00):
any of new landscaping, protect it with burr lap or
shrub covers. You don't need to put them on yet.
I mean, obviously there's still time to do this, but
looking forward as we get later into the season, to
protect the investment you made, that would be a good
way to do it.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Mm hmm yep.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
And also, you know, we typically think of spring as
malt season, but adding malt at the base of trees
and shrubs helps insulate roots and protect them from ice
and snow. So if you've been breaking your yard or
you know, when you have that chance to make your lard,
you've got those leaves.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
They can make for a great natural and.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
Inexpensive mulch to just put around the you know, the
roots of your trees and bushes.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
Which is true, and that's yeah, And it saves you
from running to a home improvement store and having to
bring the bags home and yet them and everything.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
We only want to do that in the spring.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
Yeah, that's one, doctor, We don't need to do that
twice here, right. Plants and shrubs also appreciate a very
deep watering before they go dormant, ideally after the leaves
have fallen, but before the ground freezes. So I mean
trying to thread that needle on when to do it.
But once the temperature drops a little forty degrees, you really,
you know, can stop and should stop watering at that point.
(21:04):
But just think about that, especially since we've had such
a dry season to begin with, which is why I mean,
all the meteorologists are saying, don't expect a role vibrant
fall color this year. Everything's too dry. So a good
watering before they really go dormant would probably be very helpful.
I'm assuming this year, yeah already. So let's move on
to another area that might be easy to overlook, but
it's outdoor lighting. As daylight hours get shorter, we're going
(21:27):
to rely more on the outdoor lighting, you know, much more,
whether that's your porch or your garage or your walkways.
So now is a good time to.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
Look at back.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
Yeah, this is a great time to test all your lights,
you know, replace any burnt out bulbs, you know, give
your fixtures a quick cleaning. Wiping down those glass gloves
really makes a difference, more of a difference than people
actually realize, so you know, take the time to do that.
It really does maximize the light output and makes your
home a safer place.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
And you know, just a few minutes and with with
you know, with a dust rag or you know something
like that, you know, around a bob can make sure
your family and guests aren't sumbling around in the dark.
We mentioned earlier, you've got trick or treat season, you know, Thanksgiving,
the you know, the other holidays coming, and not everybody's
familiar with the layout of where your driveway meets the
walk up to your house and the steps you know,
and stuff like that. So having it well lit, yeah,
(22:14):
you know, hopefully prevents anybody from.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
It's a little slip and fall.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
And that's an insurance plan, which is another old topic
we could talk about. Yeah, so speaking of safety patios
and decks also requires some attention. What should people be
looking for here?
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Yeah, so start with the basics.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
Check your railings, stairs and walkways for anything loose or uneven,
and tighten anything and repair is needed because you do
want to secure those areas before you know, winter conditions
are going to make.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
Them more slippery.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
For decks, there's a simple water test. Sprinkle some water
on the boards. If it beads up, you're good to go.
If it soaks me in, your deck needs to be
resealed before winter. That's probably where we're at right now.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
Oh yeah, for once, I'm on the right side having
just putt it back in, so I'm good.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
You're good on this one. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
You can also look for loose nails or screws and
fix them before they get worse. You know. If you
have any cracks or splintering wood boards, you can use
a wood apoxy filler that works pretty good.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
Yeah, but again it's something to take a take a
look at. And you don't want to forget about your
patio furniture. Many of us, you know, spend a good
deal of time outside here in Michigan during the nicer months,
and we have, you know, patio sets, patio furniture. I mean,
they've gotten very fancy. It's like having like a sofa
almost outside nowadays. In some cases, you want to clean
it while the weather is still decent, you know, Vacuum
the cushions, wash the covers if you know, if you've
(23:34):
got covers for them, Wipe down the furniture with whatever
the manufacturer. I mean a lot of times mild soap
water is going to do the job, you know. But
as we're getting to the end of the season, you know,
once you've cleaned it, dry it, stack it, cover it
up as much as possible. I know some cases you
can't cover everything, but cover it as much as possible
if you can, and you have the room to store
(23:54):
it in a garage, a shed, basement, you know is
even better. But you do want to clean some of
that stuff off at the like the life long value
of that as good I mean, you spend a lot
of money on this protected as much as you as
you can. One more thing to think about outside is
we don't think about air conditioning necessarily as we're heading
(24:15):
into October. But it deserves a spot on the checklist,
does it not when we're doing kind of some exterior work.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Yeah, it does deserve a spot on the checklist.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
You know, it's worked hard all summer, so before winter
sets in, you know, you need to give it a
little care. Start by hosting it off to clear away
any dirt leaves or maybe even bird droppings, and then
let it dry completely, and then you can cover it
with a waterproof plastic or vinyl cover to keeps knowing
ice from damaging the unit. And if you don't want
that cover blowing away in that first windy day after
(24:44):
you clean it and of all that hard work outaways,
you know, just think about getting a strap or bungee
cord to keep it secure on the unity.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
Otherwise there's like, what's that bleed blue tarp driving?
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Yeah, but on the street.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
Oh, I know where that came from. It's but you know,
it's a simple step, but it does help to prevent rust.
Extends the life of the unit. You know, kind of
thinking of tucking. You're basically tucking in your ac for
a long winter's nap.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
Yeah, that's the.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Way to look at it, you know, like that, and
you know, helping sure it's going to be ready to
go for you six seven months down the road when
you want the thing to power power back on.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
Right.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
So, we've been focusing so far on the exterior of
your home, and we needed the host for a number
of these items. You know, we just talked about cleaning
off the air conditioning unit, your patio furniture, you know,
things of that nature. Before we wrap up the outdoor
portion of the checklist, let's talk about water. This can
be one of those things people forget about until a
frozen pipe reminds us the hard way. Nobody wants to
(25:39):
do that.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
So start with your sprinkler system, you know, schedule a
blowout now so you don't forget. Once temperatures do start
to drop, you will start seeing those service trucks in
the neighborhood. But you know why not, you know, get
on it now, beat the RUSS and you know, make
those phone calls now. Your outdoor faucets need attention. To
make sure to drain your faucets and shut off the
water supply to you know, shut off the waterer's fly
(26:01):
to the faucets after that, disconnect and junior garden hoses.
Store them in the garage of the basement so they
don't crack over winter.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
Yeah, and there's just another little extra layer protection that
you can do, kind of those insulated faucet covers. They're
really inexpensive and they do a good job of keeping
pipes from freezing. So basically, get the water out, shut
things down, protect them before you know, before winter arrives.
It's one of those tags that may take you know,
twenty minutes tops, you know to do all of this,
(26:31):
but well, well worth the worth the effort. Yeah, yeah,
All right, now that we've taken care of the outside,
it's finally time to move inside and take a look
at some of the interior items to prep your home
for fall and winter. And probably the best place to
start is with your furnace. Don't know if anybody's turn
it down yet. We did have that cooler spell around
Labor Day, you know what I mean, where we thought
(26:51):
we were going to have a very early fall, and
I know, like talking to my mouth. She turned it
on the one more. Can you get that she had
the chill? And I don't know that a lot of
people have.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
Yeah, you know, I can't reme.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
I think that we might have because that chill in
the morning was just got to a point if I
remember that it was too much. So I was like,
we turned it out real quick, but you know, by
afternoon it was you know, it was time. Yeah, but yes,
So this is a great time to schedule a professional
tune up and make sure your furnace is running safely
and efficiently, you know, before relying on relying on it
(27:20):
every day because you know that is coming.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
And don't forget to change those air filters.
Speaker 3 (27:25):
It is a small thing, but it does improve airflow,
It keeps your energy costs down, and it helps with
indoor air quality.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
Yeah, I mean, and it is one of those things
that you know, it's a compliment to you know, well,
excuse me. I mean, first of all, with filters, they're
an easy to forget item, but they do make a
big difference. And I don't know what your method is
to you know, remind yourself to do it, but you know,
if you're doing the furnace check before it turns on.
If you didn't replace it at the end of last season, yeah,
it's probably time to do it before we get into
(27:52):
the the new season. Now. A compliment to the furnace
is the fireplace. A lot of people like to start
using them, you know, once the way there starts to
cool off, or even at night. Now, I mean the
nights are still you know, they're getting a little bit cooler,
making give off a cozy vibe, but they do need
some attention. You shouldn't just jump in and start using.
Speaker 3 (28:09):
That right right, So, if you have a wood burning fireplace,
get the chimney inspected and clean to remove creosote build up,
which can be a fire hazard. And this is one
item that you probably are better off calling a professional
rather than trying to tackle this as a do it
your project. I wouldn't even I don't think i'd feel
competent on this one.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
Yes, exactly.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
And you know, whether it's a wood or gas fireplace,
test the damper and make sure everything is venting properly
before your first fire of the season.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
Absolutely, that's a good safety check on what to do
before using the fireplace. The other thing, when we're speaking
of safety, smoke. Carbon monoxide detectors are a another must
thing to check this time of the year. Uh, you know,
test all those detectors, replace any batteries. Make sure you've
got enough units for the size you know of your home.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
Mm hmm yep.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
And when it comes to these type of detectors, a
good rule of thumb is one on every level and
near the bedroom.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (29:07):
Absolutely. And I know, like our our personal patterns, we
always change batteries, even though in theory those batteries should
last a lot longer than a six ish month timeframe.
We always changed the batteries the weekend of the time
change you know, yea fall and spring. It's an easy
to me, it's an easy trigger remind absolutely, yeah, yep.
And here's an extra tip And this kind of came
to me after working with my mom last year. If
(29:29):
you have an elderly parent, maybe be nice and check
that for them. They don't necessarily think to check, or
they it's hard for them to reach the batteries. If
these are in ceilings, you know, are high up on
a well, you mean, depending on the style of the
home and where they were positioned. And you high up
on a wall like my eighty some year old mother
should not be on a ladder changing batteries, right. I mean,
(29:49):
so we think about it for our own house, but
if you have an elderly parent who's you know, living
in a home of their own, maybe this is something
that you can do for them during this time of
the year and check that for that.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
I love that. I think that's a great tip.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
I think that's something that probably we don't always think about.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
We take that for granted.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
Everyone's got their own house, they're they're checking their own.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
They're checking their own thing, and don't Yeah, last year
this kind of came up and it's like, okay that
that now has to be on my ratear.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
Yeah, yeah, so you have to. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
I could add a lot more, but that for a while.
From a safety perspective, So there's a couple of more
things you want to address when it comes to like
home insulation and drafts, and that's going to be doors
and windows. What do they need to know there?
Speaker 3 (30:28):
Yeah, you want to check your windows and doors for
any leaks and seal them with weather stripping or cock
It helps to keep heat in and the cold out
and help save you money. And if you have an attic,
make sure the insulation is in good shape. That not
the insulation that only keeps your house warmer, but it
also helps prevent ice dams on the roof later in
the winter.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
And you know the reality of it is is unless
you have relatively new windows or doors, the chances are
are pretty good that you're going to benefit from some
type of weather stripping or cock I mean it's it's
if you've had those in for any amount of time.
Like you said, products just get dried out, they have
the sun beating on them, you know, or whatnot, depending
on where they're positioned. So take a look at that.
The other thing you can do in this may be
(31:09):
we're not there again yet with the temperatures we've been having,
but probably in the next couple of weeks, swapping out
your screens for the storm windows. You know, that can
help with energy efficiency as we start to get start
to get cooler. Yeah, and if you haven't had if
you haven't already, and again may not given the weather
we've had, but at some point and then I'm going
to guess in the next thirty days, it's going to
be a good time to adjust your thermostat settings to
(31:32):
more aculately tongue tied, accurately reflect the season, you know,
tempts that you're going to want for moving forward. You know,
when do you want the furnace to come on at
what temperature? You know? And if you have those smart systems,
you know, get those set and you know, having that
consistency of schedule where you're not you know, different members
of the family aren't moving the little you know thing
up or down, up or down, upper down. That's not
(31:53):
very energy efficient, you know, So take advantage of the
smart systems most of us have. Yeah, put your parameters in.
Is what I want at night, is what I want
when we're there, and.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
Nobody touch it. Do not touch my parameter exactly exactly.
Speaker 3 (32:07):
And another tip for heating efficiency is if you do
have ceiling fans, you want to change the direction of
those fans. You want them to create an upward draft
so they redistribute the warm ear by the ceiling back
into the room.
Speaker 1 (32:18):
Okay, So yeah, that's another easy one that we don't
necessarily pay attention to. So many of the areas we've covered,
you know, it's if if you think about it, We've said,
there's a few things that might not be on your list,
but a lot of them. You know, if you've owned
a home many amount of time, you're like, yep, yep,
that makes sense. Gutters, yep, no, at downspouts, yeah, you know,
all of this type of stuff. One thing that may
(32:38):
not be on your list is the attic because unless
you have an unusual home, most of us don't spend
a lot of time hand out in the attic.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
Right yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly outside out of mind, that's
exactly right. So, but but it does play a huge
role in keeping your home safe and comfortable. One of
the first things to check is that you've got screens
in place and that they're in good, good shape, so
that those screens are the things that help keep the birds, squirrels,
and other critters that are looking for a warm.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Spot for winter.
Speaker 1 (33:07):
That helps keeping them out well, speaking of hurters and
flying things, I believe you had you had a little
situation where you had some unintended guests at your house.
How's all of that going?
Speaker 3 (33:19):
So? Yeah, so, so the mice are new. I think
I live like in a Scooby Doo house or something.
But yeah, we had some bats back. It was probably
like the end of July and I don't know really,
to be honest with you, this is probably more of
a when you're up on your roof and check your
right type of thing. Because what we discovered, well, we
discovered it because I have like a split colonial so
(33:41):
the my my boys, my kids, they sleep upstairs, right
and like three separate nights each boy. It told me, Mom, Mom,
I can hear this horrible scratching you know in the ceiling.
And I did actually go up there, you know myself,
and it was really disturbing, like how.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
Loud, and it almost it was to the sea, you know.
Speaker 3 (34:00):
So we definitely knew there was an issue. Called you know,
a local you know, pass control type of company. They
went on the roof and they found a lot of
entry points. And again, you know, my house is not
that old, the roof is not that old. But I
just think, whatever again, I'll like handtimes, you know, he'd expansion.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
You know.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
Cold animals are crafty little things that they're I mean,
they're looking for a way to protect themselves.
Speaker 3 (34:24):
Yes, and they have and even bats doesn't take much,
you know, much space for them to squeeze in. So
it was mostly like the ridge vents, you know, where
like all the ridge vents were and stuff like that
that they were that they were actually getting into the attic.
Speaker 2 (34:37):
So, uh like twenty five hundred dollars later and you.
Speaker 1 (34:41):
Have twenty five hundred dollars lying around. This is probably
not how you want to do.
Speaker 3 (34:44):
This is not how you want to spend it at all.
But I mean, I was really impressed with the company
that we used. They did come out, they put us
they actually almost looked like little cages on the roof
and little like tubes almost. So the bats in the evening,
you know it, we're flying out, but then they couldn't
fly back in because everything was caged off and they
couldn't get back up into those tubes. We're kind of
(35:05):
like their main entry points. Yeah, you know, and and
I believe it's worked. I haven't heard any you know,
scratch that type of thing.
Speaker 1 (35:13):
So you want to mess with Pam over to her
house at night and start.
Speaker 2 (35:16):
Scratching on it, freak me out and put me in
the next level like that?
Speaker 1 (35:21):
You know that really is You know, maybe we're but
we're you know, talking addicts and roofs and you know,
we're just again paying attention to screens to keep things
out yours may not have come in that way, but
this is why you want to check because again adds
I'm gonna say most people are not spending a lot
of time or paying a lot of attention there, but
it is it is something to go take a look at.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, you know, and think about it too,
because again it was expensive. It was expensive to get
rid of them, but they can you know, do some damage,
right and there's you know, the iguana and stuff like
that that can be health issues, you know, so that's
really something you just want to avoid.
Speaker 1 (35:54):
Yeah, you don't want to you don't want to mess
with that. And like you mentioned, you know, the the
ridge vents at the top and the soft events you
know at the eaves, they should be free of any leaves, insulation,
any debris. You know, good airflow is the key to
a healthy attic yeap exactly.
Speaker 3 (36:09):
And then you know, because if those events do get blocked,
they can trap warm air and cause ice dams on
your roof once the snow comes, and then that can
lead to water damage inside your home. So you know,
it's not just about the animal and right the critter control,
you know, it is about also protecting your roof in
your house.
Speaker 1 (36:27):
Absolutely, so before we officially wrap U because we spent
a lot of time on the exterior of the house,
we spent a little bit of time on the interior.
I mean, there's always some other things we could add,
but the show could go on for you know, two hours,
so we're trying to keep it to the most important
things for you to pay attention to before we officially wrap.
Let's touch on one topic nobody really wants to think
about yet. Well, I guess unless you're a skier or
(36:49):
a snowboarder, yes then maybe you would. But the rest
of us snow it's not here, but we know it's coming.
What are some of the basic things folks can and
should do now so that they're not going to scramble.
Speaker 3 (37:00):
Scrambled with that first snow fall or blizzard or whatever.
So the best thing you want to do is get
your supplies in order. Now pick up your ice melt
for your driveway and sidewalks, and take a look at
those snow shovels. You know, a lot of people ended
last year with the damage or broken snowshovels.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
I swear this happens to have good time too.
Speaker 3 (37:19):
And then You're just happy to shove them in the
garage and spring comes and you don't think about it,
but check them out. If you have, you know, some
damage shovels, then maybe this is the time to you know,
go and get some new ones.
Speaker 1 (37:28):
Yeah, because you get the first snow of the season
and you forgot that the shovels broke. So you go
out the garage you're getting oh no.
Speaker 2 (37:33):
Yes, terrible. Yeah, and then you got to make your
job so much harder.
Speaker 1 (37:37):
And if you've got a snowblower, if some people do
it yourself maintenance, great if you can do that. If not,
maybe schedule that service before everybody else does, especially if
it's been a few years since your equipment has been
you know, has been serviced. You want to you don't
want to be stuck in line for repairs if we
get a major you know. Yeah, I mean, the reality
of it is, and I don't know where everybody stands
(37:57):
on the changing and climates and stuff like that. It
justs that our snow season is coming a little later.
We don't tend tend now I'm gonna probably jinx it.
We don't tend to get a lot of snow anymore.
Between like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Correct, Yeah, it seems like
it's January's really the season that that seems to kick in.
So I think you have time. I mean, the good
news is you've got time to get the supplies in order.
If you need the new shovel to get things serviced, you've.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
Got to look you've got some time.
Speaker 1 (38:19):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, And here's a bonus look ahead tip
for those who love decorating for the holidays. What do
you think about tackling those outdoor lights early? I mean,
I some people will put those up, you know, well
the weather's nice, so they don't have to do it
in the cold and the and the snow doesn't mean
you have to turn the lights on, but.
Speaker 3 (38:35):
Right, you don't have to turn them on. But I
think I think it's a great time. You know, it's
safer and it's more comfortable, you know. And then I think,
you know, it's not a lot of fun to be
out there when it's you know, cold temperatures and you're
trying to you know, unstring your lights and all that
type of thing. So and we've had some really beautiful weather.
I mean, I wouldn't say turn them on. I mean, yeah,
(38:57):
you know, and you know, people get putting out their
Halloween right now.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
But if you're out there putting out your Halloween, maybe
put out your well.
Speaker 1 (39:03):
I bring this up because I mean we'll see some people,
I think, depending on the home, and especially I you've
got like really high arch points and stuff like that,
like they kind of leave the brackets or the hook
you know, kind of the hooks to put stuff in
your round. But I'm like, yeah, we've had such you know,
beautiful weather and stuff like that. And I'll even like,
you know, even early November, we can have nice days.
They may not be eighty degree days, but you have
nice days. And I'll say to my husband, don't you
(39:25):
want to like maybe go get some of the stuff out.
We don't have to turn it on, but just you
get it in place. No, he's he doesn't want to
do it till the weekend of Thanksgiving, and I think
that'll be out there, you know, and it's cold. But
his temperature gaze in mind are two very different. Always
last by the dual climate control in the car, so
he's clearly at a different But I'm like, wouldn't you
want to do it when it's nice out?
Speaker 2 (39:45):
Nope? I like doing it. Then oh oh go okay.
Speaker 1 (39:49):
So there you have it. You've got a rather robust
fall checklist for keeping your home safe, efficient, and ready
for winter. And once again I'm just going to throw
out there if you'd like a free home fall home
maintenance checklist that compliments kind of what we just covered today,
something that you can, you know, look at or print
off and have handy so you can kind of check
things off if you're If you're somebody who likes to
(40:11):
visually manually check things off, we'd be happy to provide
that to you. Just reach out to us email us
at info at Remax dash Se Michigan dot com and
we'll be happy to send that out to you. So
we hope you can tackle, you know, some of these
tags in the next couple of weeks so you can
focus on other funfall stuff like the cider mills or
(40:32):
the football games are hanging by the fire pit and
all of that. So before we go upan, what's your
favorite fall activity besides still homes.
Speaker 3 (40:41):
Yeah, besides home maintenance, I don't I think going to
the cider mail you know, I still really enjoy doing that,
you know, yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
It is amazing and I joke ause I have like
my favorite cider mill for cider, my favorite cider mill
for donuts. You know. I mean, it's like they're not
the same. It's like if I go here, oh, I
really like that this place. If I go here, I
really like that.
Speaker 2 (41:02):
Yeah. Yeah, but then it's fun. There's a couple of trips, have.
Speaker 1 (41:05):
A couple of different trips out of it.
Speaker 2 (41:07):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (41:08):
That's always good. Well, thanks again to Pam Balante for
joining us today. Happy to have you in here.
Speaker 2 (41:14):
Lots of fun.
Speaker 1 (41:15):
And for those listening, well, thank you for joining us
as well. We hope this gives you some ideas of
some of the things where you can focus your attention
to protect a big investment. Your home, for many of
us is the largest single investment that we have, and
you want to do your best to protect it so
you don't have to spend your discretionary income chasing out
mice bats, fixing the roofs and windows. I mean, some
(41:38):
of these things are just over time you do. But
I mean, let's not hurry the process. Let's get out
there and protect that investment. For those of you listening,
have a great week, and we look forward to chatting
with you again soon. We hope you enjoyed today's episode.
Don't forget to subscribe, write a review, or rate the show,
as it helps us reach more people. You can also
follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
You are listening to the Remax real Estate Insights Show
where you get real talk by real agents. Walk to
you by Remas of Southeastern Michigan. Hello and welcome to
the Remax real Estate Insights Podcast. We're happy to have
you joining us today. My name is Janete Schneider. I'm
your host, and today we're going to go through a
checklist for fall home maintenance tips. Normally I would start
(00:24):
this topic off saying fall us here the aras cris
leaves are changing. But when we're recording this, which is
the last couple of days of September, er really hasn't
been so crisp. It's been more summer like. And while
there's a little bit of leaf changing, not as much
as we normally see. Yeah, lo true. But nonetheless, we
know fall is coming. So we are going to walk
(00:46):
through a fall home maintenance checklist that's going to help
you protect the investment that your home really is. Hopefully
it's going to help you save some money on your
energy bills, keep your home cozy and safe in the
upcoming more brutal winter season now coming. So from everything
from cleaning out the gutters to checking your furnace, we've
got you covered with some practical tips that you can
(01:07):
actually tackle without feeling overwhelmed. Joining me to dive into
this uh I guess annual topic is Pambalante, our marketing
director for Remacs of Southeastern Michigan. Thanks for joining us,
Pama hither, thanks for having me my pleasure. So, as
I alluded to at the beginning, we've had this unusually
summer like weather. Are you, like, is your house decorated
(01:28):
for follow? You ready for follow you? Are you trying
to get to follow? Are you embracing what we've got?
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Well?
Speaker 3 (01:33):
I love putting out the fall decre the pumpkins that
you know on the on the porch, hey, and you
know saw that, But because it's been so nice, like,
I can't, Yeah, I just can't.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
In my mind it doesn't work.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Yes, I feel like I should be putting out July
fourth decorations.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Yes, not great.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
So we're just out of town last week and I
actually bought some fall you know decorations, like some pumpkins
and some little things like that, and I was like,
you know, I was excited when I bought them, but
I'm like, it just doesn't seem Yeah, I.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Still have all your flat is hot pink and all that.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
You know, Yeah, eighty degrees and the windows are open.
It just seems like it's a little a little off.
But again, we know that we know the season's coming.
So given that, we're going to kick off the show
with kind of an exterior essentials portion, and this is
going to go along because there's a lot to do
on the outside of your house. We start on the
outside because you know, fall is a season where your
(02:23):
home's exterior really needs some TLC. If you skip paying
attention to this step, you're basically inviting Winner to show
up un announced at your party. And Winner is a
pretty rude guest. I mean, it's it can do some damage, right, Yeah,
And so this is why we're going to start on
the exterior because there's so many things to kind of
pay attention to. First up are going to be gutters
(02:44):
and down spouts. Now, if you're like me, no one
gets really excited about this. This isn't a topic that goes,
oh yay, this is what I want to talk about.
But they can cause water backups that aren't cheap to fix.
So people should grab a ladder and get going, right.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Yeah, they should really get up there and look at
the gutters. That's a great place to start, because if
you're not on top of those cloud gutters, you're just
asking for water damage. Remember, their job is to take
that water away from from the foundation to a good
drainage area. So, you know, if they're not cleaned, if
there's materials building up in the gutter channel, you know, leaves,
(03:18):
you know that type of thing, different debris, the water
is going to have nowhere to go, and then ultimately
ultimately is going to overflow on your you know, foundation,
you know that type of thing. So and now you're
looking at you know, possible leaky roofs, leaking or flooded basements,
rotted wood, maybe cracks in the foundation. All of those
are very expensive to repair.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Well, I mean, and all stem from something that's pretty
easy to keep on top of. Yeah, for the for
the most Yeah, for the for the for the most part.
So water by itself is enough of a headache, but
once the temperature drops, those cloud gutters can cause ice
build up, you know, and that then tends to run
into your driveway or you know, walkways, and that's when
cracks and damage starts showing up in those type of
(03:58):
places as well. Which also wasn't fun m And you.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Know, that goes back to our point that you know,
you don't think about your gutters, but that really is,
you know, something that you should be looking at, you
know again, because they're draining thousands of gallons you know,
from your roof every year. So I think we just
kind of take those gutters for granted that they're going
to do their job, you know, so, but we have
to help them along a little bit, you know.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Yeah, as absolutely, and if you.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
You know, also if you're up there cleaning now, and
actually not too many leaves have started falling yet, you know.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
No, I mean there are some, I mean some. And
it was kind of interesting because we were going for
a walk. Yes it was yesterday over the weekend, and
like a neighbor's house across the street has a crew
you know that comes in and does it, and they
were doing the whole blowing of you know, some leaves
out of the yard and they're all blowing across the street.
I'm like, uh, hello, but you don't get to bowm
into my eyes.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Yeah this works. Yeah, it just made more work for
me exactly.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
But I guess keep in mind that, you know, if
if maybe in the next few weeks someone's going up there.
I had to clean get those leaves out of there,
probably a another month or so because there's gonna be
leaves that are still falling. So you know, maybe one
more time. Yes, closer to the chillier temperature.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Absolutely, And I know, like and for those of you
that listen, you know regularly, you know, I moved in
the last year, you know and a half. But our
old house, we had a tree that there would be
snow on the ground and the leaves were still falling.
I mean, so, yeah, there are some species that are
very late and dropping. So to your point, it may
not be a one and done. It might be a
now and later.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Yeah, now and later. Yeah, that's it. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
So and here's a little tip. If you know you're
not necessarily in love with cleaning the gutters, you know,
buy your hands, even with like yard gloves on or
something like that. You can grab an old plastic spatul up.
It makes the job a little easier. You can just
kind of put that in there and you know, just
kind of shove it through there, and it makes the
job a little bit easier. It's it's still not necessarily
going to be glamorous work, but it's a little bit
(05:50):
more of a do it yourself friendly way of going
about it. Already, since you already have the ladder out,
it's the perfect time to check the roof as well.
So what should people be looking for up there? Yeah,
so start with your shingles. If your roof is older,
or if you've had storms with hail or strong winds recently,
look for shingles that are missing, flipped, punctured, or cracked.
(06:12):
Also clear off any branches or debris that might have
landed up there. This all, you know, again, may seem small,
but this these are things that can cause damage over time.
It really can. And even from the ground, even if
you're not up on the roof, I mean, because for
some people, you know, the roof is relatively easy to
access a ranch style home, you know, something like that,
if you have a home that has the higher ceilings
and it's a little bit i mean, you know, throwing
(06:34):
the ladder up there may be a little bit daunting, yeah,
you know, type of a thing. But there are some
things that you can look at from the ground as well.
If you're sweeping up a lot of granules on your driveway,
or your patio or your deck, you know, wherever it
is you're noticing them. That can mean your shingles are
wearing all that is a sign you probably for sure
want to go check out what's going on.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Yeah, yeah, we did.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Exp I mean, we had the roof we have now
we've had for many years, but at the time that
we were getting ready to replace it, that's exactly what
we saw. Those granules everywhere, all over the driveway, deck,
all that type of thing.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
So yeah, you know, so that's true.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
And then also while you're out there, don't forget to
check the flu in the chimney. Same thing you're looking for,
loose or broken joints, damage, flash flashing, anything that might
let water in, you know, because you got those water
and freeze saw cycles that you know again.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Could cause expensive repairs. Common theme there.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Yeah, and and Pam knows because she works with me
that expensive repairs has been the name of the game
for me this year. We've discovered a lot of things
in while we just talked about the granules and you
saw that as a as an issue on your roof.
We bought this house, had an inspection done and that
didn't come up as an issue. Yet we had a leak,
oh yeah, and had to replace the roof this year.
(07:46):
So granules, I think our are for sure a tell tale,
for sure, a tell tale. But if your roof's getting
a little long into the tooth, you know, it may
not be at the end of its, you know, anticipated
life cycle. I think it's really worth going up there
and checking some things out and seeing, because you know better,
better to know before you have a bigger.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Bigger problem for me.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
But yeah, you know, you know, yeah, and it was
your leak near the chimney.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
It was, and it was I guess that we're not
oh shoot, I forget the name of it. My husband
would know. There's a weird way like in the attic.
There's some kind of bend joint whatever you want to
call it. And it was like right there, that's that's
where I guess.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
The issue was. Okay, okay, so there you go.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
So there you go. Yeah, and while and again, while
you're up there, and especially if it is relatively easy
to get up on your roof and check the chimney
cap as well, this can be an area if it's
if you don't have kind of like a covering over it,
you know, squirrels, birds, bats, you other other things can
get into your house deciding that your fireplace looks a
(08:47):
lot like a lot cozier space to spend the winter
than where they're going to spend it. So small critters
can be cute, but you don't want them, You don't
want them living living there, So you want to check
that out as well.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
Yeah, check that out, you know, and going back to
you while you're up there, and if you do discover
that your roof does need shingles, don't wait too long.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Asphalts.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
Shingos do need to be replaced in tempts between forty
and eighty five degrees in order to seal properly. So
if it's too cold, the HESI wone stick and then
you're gonna have to wait until spring. So probably right
now is the time to get up there.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
And I mean that would be a really good time
because you're still within them. I mean, and I know
that there are some companies that say that they do
it all season long, and maybe there's some products that
go to that, but I mean historically this is you know,
there is a good window.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
To do that. Yeah, yeah, absolutely, we know.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Now we don't really often spend a lot of time
investigating our route. But you know, we've been talking about
it because it's literally what keeps out the rain, the snow,
the ice and everything else. So it you know, this
is why we spend some time saying, hey, when you're
up there doing you know, dealing with gutters and down spouts,
it's the next thing that you should take a look at.
And then while you're outside, it's smart to give your
(09:53):
siding kind of a glance and a once over as well.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
Yeah, yeah, I gotta look at your siding as well,
look for cracks, gaps, any damage that needs to be addressed,
and pay special attention to the corners of your home
because that's where the damage tends to start. And then again,
you know common theme here, fixing that early could prevent
expensive repairs down the road.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Yeah, because another for those of you keeping track, another
household project that we had to do recently was to
replace a handful of windows on the back of the house.
And of course, you know, any good home construction crew
is going to look at other things when they're out
at your house because they're looking for future business. And
apparently I am a gold mine for people this year
and they were finding that. You know, they were just
(10:34):
pointing out. The siding is fine, you know, the long
pieces themselves, but some of the joints, some of the
joint work, you know, where the joints come together, could
use some calking and could use a little attention. So
I mean, in addition to kind of what you talked about,
there's details there too, right, there's kind of the big picture.
Is there a hole in the sidings or signing flapping?
(10:55):
Is there something going on? But then where there's the
seams and the joints, look at those as well.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Yeah, yeah, maybe though is more than anything.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Yeah, because that's you know, the whole water always wins. Well,
that's where something could get in. It's that most of
us notice a big gaping hole in our siding, right right,
But it's the little things that you know, you know,
you walk past it every day and don't see it exactly,
and that's where your future future problems, your problems are
going to be.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
So, as we mentioned earlier, you know, critters, you know,
like to find warm places, and they find them in small,
very small gaps and holes. Chipmunks, mice, other little you know,
they need the time. I mean sometimes like the size
of a dime, you know, or or to get into things.
And as temperatures do start to drop, they're going to
be looking for a warm spot. So you want to
seal up any you know, small holes and gaps. Now,
(11:40):
whether that's insiding the foundation, whatever it is, it's much
easier to keep them out to begin with than to
get them out once they've come inside.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
Absolutely, And you know, you and I haven't had a
chance to talk about this, but I did recently have
an exterminator come to our house just for kind of
like a quarterly like inside, Wow, it's just a little
maintenance there or whatever. But he just came out, I
think it was last week, and same thing. He called
me outside and he's like, I want to show you something.
(12:11):
And on the side of our garage kind of like
the weather stripping that goes down the side of the garage.
We at the very bottom there was little nibble marks.
Oh really, and some nesting material like.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
That was they were starting to make it.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
They were trying to you know, nest into our garage
and stuff. So so of course, you know, had to
pay for it. But he put out some mouse traps
and then he took me around the house and showed
me all the places where they can get in so
to your point, like a dime size and all that. Yeah,
and one place to really look, I think is where
your water meter goes into your house. And he did
recock that for us because as time goes on that cock. Yeah,
(12:49):
so there was a little bit of gaping there. And
then also we're like the air conditioning unit, you know,
the pieces that like go into the house, like it
was gaping there. So he sealed that for us as well.
But he he was shown me. He literally take me
on the house, the whole house. You know, they could
hear here, and I'm like, seal that up right now.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
So it was like Oprah for mice and you get
a home, and you get a home, and yeah, there's
all these different entry country points.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
So so so it is it is very important, I think,
to take that moment to walk around your house and
look at those areas. And I was really surprised, like
we're the water meter and stuff, because I never look
at that.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
No, well typically I don't. But again, we've had gas
leaks at the house, so I bet I've been outside
and had DT come out and you know, they we
were looking at the meter for a different reason. We
were looking to see if gas was still leaking. Okay,
but yeah, short of that, I don't pay attention to
those meters. They're automatically read, you know, not a big deal.
But now I will be looking when I go take
(13:47):
a walk tonight, you know, after dinner, I will make
sure that I turn my head and I look at
the yah, check it out because with your situation with
my law, yeah, you're gonna have to fill that. I'll
have all I'll have all sorts of people in there
look looking for a home.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
So let's talk a little bit about something we walk
on every day. But thanks for sharing before we do that,
Thanks for sharing that, because I think it's very interesting
most of us. I can certainly say, I don't know
that I've ever had somebody come out like before this
time of the season, specifically with an eye looking for
that type of stuff and then being kind of enough
to point out to you, hey, look at this, Hey
look at that. You know, here's entry points. I think
(14:23):
that was a really good tidbit to share.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
Yeah, yeah, for sure. And it was shocking to see
those nibble marks too. So I mean, that's another thing
to look for, you know, on your weather's dipping stuff,
look for nibble marks, because that's clearly.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
You've got activity. Yeah, you've got activity there, all right.
So now let's talk about something we walk on every day,
which is driveways and walkways. What should homeowners be checking
for when it comes to this as falls coming into place?
Speaker 3 (14:47):
Yeah, as fall as coming in. One thing that homeowners
should do is pull any weeds. If grass or weeds
have popped up in the cracks of your driveway sidewalk,
you know, pull them out because you're you know, chances
are you might want to into sealing the gaps. So
before you can seal those gaps, you do want to
you know, have all the the you know, the weeds out.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Well.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
I guess cracks are the one thing that you are
looking for, you know, because water can seep in during
the fall rains, and once temperatures drop and and it freezes,
then water is going to expand. And that's how small
cracks turn into big expensive problems.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
Are getting our theme.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
Get it of small catch it now kind of like
your healthy catch things. When it's small, it prevents it
from being bigger. Ye and you know, safety, like you mentioned,
is a factor. You know, uneven spots, you know, or
larger cracks. You know, they start out as like maybe
small cracks were it's still even. But as time goes
and cracks becomes wider than there there's usually that you know,
one side of the driver or their walkway is a
(15:43):
little taller than the other, right, and now it becomes
you know, tripping hazards. And especially when you start to
have ice and snow on the ground and you can't
see that, you know, or it's maybe it's maybe hidden
a little bit more. And you know, this is the
time of the year. We have people, you know, starting
to come to your house for different holiday events. You
don't want to them falling. So what's the best way
to handle them? You know, when you're starting to see
maybe some little cracks, what's the best way for folks
(16:03):
to handle that.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
Yeah, so you know, for the small cracks, you can
use a DIY patching compound that seems to work very well.
For bigger ones, or if you notice the heaving or
serious damage like you just said, you know, that's probably
when a professional you know, professional repair is a better
choice just because they they have the skill set right
and the deals and all that to do that, you know,
(16:27):
and then again going back to you know, the debris
and stuff, make sure that you do get leaves and
debris off of your your you know, you're concrete and
all that because moisture trapped under any of that leaves
and debris can make that freeze and thaw worse. So
just something else to think about.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
I mean, and you don't really I mean you think
about raking the grass, yeah, you know, right, I mean
people will use blowers or rake or whatever you use,
but that it needs to get off that surface as well.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
Sure, yep, yep exactly, So that guy that was blowing.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
It, just don't blow them into my yard. Yeah, someplace cells.
So in short, you want to you know, inspect, you
want to clean, you want to patch early. Because again
a little attention now, you know, saves a lot of headache.
And we put together a little fall home maintenance checklist.
So as we're going through these tips today, if you
think it'd be handy, you know, to kind of have
a little checklist that you can kind of follow along
(17:17):
with at home, you can email us at info at
Remax dash Se, Michigan. Like for Southeast se Michigan dot
com and we'd be happy to send that send that
out to you. Continuing on what kind of our exterior
essentials portion of the checklist, now is the perfect time
to talk about your you know, your yard, your lawn,
your garden, and getting all of those ready for the
(17:39):
colder months. And I think the first thing to check
is your trees. You want to kind of look up,
are there any dead branches or limbs. Trimming them now
or getting them out now puts you in control. Otherwise
the wind is going to be in control, or ice
is going to be in control, because we know they're coming.
We know we've got windy days. We know at some
point we're going to have an ice storm or two
(18:00):
and it's going to bring them down if you don't,
So why don't you take control of it so it
doesn't it doesn't bring down a power line, or it
doesn't land on a car, you know, or something else
that could cause far more you know, headache for.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
You, yep, exactly.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
And you know this is also a good time to
look for those bear spots in your lawn and patch them.
And I don't know about you, I know your properties
maybe a little bit different, but it was so dry,
like you know, most incredibly you know that we actually
have these dry dead spots in our lawn now. So
I was, you know, yeah, thinking about this episode, I
(18:32):
was like, oh, yeah, like the checklist, Yeah, I'm a
checklist now. But because you know, you want to take
care of that. If you skip it, you're basically leaving
the door open for weeds to take over in the spring,
and nobody wants that.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
So and then also we're talking about the leaves.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
Don't let those leaves it on your grass because you
know that's going to you know, just again cause fungus
invite past disease, that type of thing. And also one
more thing for that last mold of the season, cut
your grass a little bit shorter than usual. That helps
prevent snow mold, which is that fungus and that can
pop up you know, after it thaws. And if the
(19:11):
grass is too long and you know mad at that,
you're gonna have some issues.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
No, and we're gonna definitely need to do something with
bear spots because we had had some grading work done
late last summer and they did put seed down, but
I don't think it took real well. And then you said,
it's been so dry that it's been a really harsh environment,
and there's a lot of spots like up where they
did that. I mean, it's going to need to almost
be redone, I think the second time, and falls a
great time to do that. So that's on our to
(19:36):
do list as well.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
On the list.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
Plants and shrubs also require some attention in the fall.
If you if you added or upgraded any landscaping, now's
a good time to to think about how you're going
to protect it so everything comes back nice and healthy
in the spring. You know, first you can start by
removing any dead or decaying plant matter. It's not uncommon
to have some stuff not make it, you know, so
trim this stuff that didn't make it. But you've added
(20:00):
any of new landscaping, protect it with burr lap or
shrub covers. You don't need to put them on yet.
I mean, obviously there's still time to do this, but
looking forward as we get later into the season, to
protect the investment you made, that would be a good
way to do it.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Mm hmm yep.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
And also, you know, we typically think of spring as
malt season, but adding malt at the base of trees
and shrubs helps insulate roots and protect them from ice
and snow. So if you've been breaking your yard or
you know, when you have that chance to make your lard,
you've got those leaves.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
They can make for a great natural and.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
Inexpensive mulch to just put around the you know, the
roots of your trees and bushes.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
Which is true, and that's yeah, And it saves you
from running to a home improvement store and having to
bring the bags home and yet them and everything.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
We only want to do that in the spring.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
Yeah, that's one, doctor, We don't need to do that
twice here, right. Plants and shrubs also appreciate a very
deep watering before they go dormant, ideally after the leaves
have fallen, but before the ground freezes. So I mean
trying to thread that needle on when to do it.
But once the temperature drops a little forty degrees, you really,
you know, can stop and should stop watering at that point.
(21:04):
But just think about that, especially since we've had such
a dry season to begin with, which is why I mean,
all the meteorologists are saying, don't expect a role vibrant
fall color this year. Everything's too dry. So a good
watering before they really go dormant would probably be very helpful.
I'm assuming this year, yeah already. So let's move on
to another area that might be easy to overlook, but
it's outdoor lighting. As daylight hours get shorter, we're going
(21:27):
to rely more on the outdoor lighting, you know, much more,
whether that's your porch or your garage or your walkways.
So now is a good time to.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
Look at back.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
Yeah, this is a great time to test all your lights,
you know, replace any burnt out bulbs, you know, give
your fixtures a quick cleaning. Wiping down those glass gloves
really makes a difference, more of a difference than people
actually realize, so you know, take the time to do that.
It really does maximize the light output and makes your
home a safer place.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
And you know, just a few minutes and with with
you know, with a dust rag or you know something
like that, you know, around a bob can make sure
your family and guests aren't sumbling around in the dark.
We mentioned earlier, you've got trick or treat season, you know, Thanksgiving,
the you know, the other holidays coming, and not everybody's
familiar with the layout of where your driveway meets the
walk up to your house and the steps you know,
and stuff like that. So having it well lit, yeah,
(22:14):
you know, hopefully prevents anybody from.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
It's a little slip and fall.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
And that's an insurance plan, which is another old topic
we could talk about. Yeah, so speaking of safety patios
and decks also requires some attention. What should people be
looking for here?
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Yeah, so start with the basics.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
Check your railings, stairs and walkways for anything loose or uneven,
and tighten anything and repair is needed because you do
want to secure those areas before you know, winter conditions
are going to make.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
Them more slippery.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
For decks, there's a simple water test. Sprinkle some water
on the boards. If it beads up, you're good to go.
If it soaks me in, your deck needs to be
resealed before winter. That's probably where we're at right now.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
Oh yeah, for once, I'm on the right side having
just putt it back in, so I'm good.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
You're good on this one. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
You can also look for loose nails or screws and
fix them before they get worse. You know. If you
have any cracks or splintering wood boards, you can use
a wood apoxy filler that works pretty good.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
Yeah, but again it's something to take a take a
look at. And you don't want to forget about your
patio furniture. Many of us, you know, spend a good
deal of time outside here in Michigan during the nicer months,
and we have, you know, patio sets, patio furniture. I mean,
they've gotten very fancy. It's like having like a sofa
almost outside nowadays. In some cases, you want to clean
it while the weather is still decent, you know, Vacuum
the cushions, wash the covers if you know, if you've
(23:34):
got covers for them, Wipe down the furniture with whatever
the manufacturer. I mean a lot of times mild soap
water is going to do the job, you know. But
as we're getting to the end of the season, you know,
once you've cleaned it, dry it, stack it, cover it
up as much as possible. I know some cases you
can't cover everything, but cover it as much as possible
if you can, and you have the room to store
(23:54):
it in a garage, a shed, basement, you know is
even better. But you do want to clean some of
that stuff off at the like the life long value
of that as good I mean, you spend a lot
of money on this protected as much as you as
you can. One more thing to think about outside is
we don't think about air conditioning necessarily as we're heading
(24:15):
into October. But it deserves a spot on the checklist,
does it not when we're doing kind of some exterior work.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Yeah, it does deserve a spot on the checklist.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
You know, it's worked hard all summer, so before winter
sets in, you know, you need to give it a
little care. Start by hosting it off to clear away
any dirt leaves or maybe even bird droppings, and then
let it dry completely, and then you can cover it
with a waterproof plastic or vinyl cover to keeps knowing
ice from damaging the unit. And if you don't want
that cover blowing away in that first windy day after
(24:44):
you clean it and of all that hard work outaways,
you know, just think about getting a strap or bungee
cord to keep it secure on the unity.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
Otherwise there's like, what's that bleed blue tarp driving?
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Yeah, but on the street.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
Oh, I know where that came from. It's but you know,
it's a simple step, but it does help to prevent rust.
Extends the life of the unit. You know, kind of
thinking of tucking. You're basically tucking in your ac for
a long winter's nap.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
Yeah, that's the.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Way to look at it, you know, like that, and
you know, helping sure it's going to be ready to
go for you six seven months down the road when
you want the thing to power power back on.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
Right.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
So, we've been focusing so far on the exterior of
your home, and we needed the host for a number
of these items. You know, we just talked about cleaning
off the air conditioning unit, your patio furniture, you know,
things of that nature. Before we wrap up the outdoor
portion of the checklist, let's talk about water. This can
be one of those things people forget about until a
frozen pipe reminds us the hard way. Nobody wants to
(25:39):
do that.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
So start with your sprinkler system, you know, schedule a
blowout now so you don't forget. Once temperatures do start
to drop, you will start seeing those service trucks in
the neighborhood. But you know why not, you know, get
on it now, beat the RUSS and you know, make
those phone calls now. Your outdoor faucets need attention. To
make sure to drain your faucets and shut off the
water supply to you know, shut off the waterer's fly
(26:01):
to the faucets after that, disconnect and junior garden hoses.
Store them in the garage of the basement so they
don't crack over winter.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
Yeah, and there's just another little extra layer protection that
you can do, kind of those insulated faucet covers. They're
really inexpensive and they do a good job of keeping
pipes from freezing. So basically, get the water out, shut
things down, protect them before you know, before winter arrives.
It's one of those tags that may take you know,
twenty minutes tops, you know to do all of this,
(26:31):
but well, well worth the worth the effort. Yeah, yeah,
All right, now that we've taken care of the outside,
it's finally time to move inside and take a look
at some of the interior items to prep your home
for fall and winter. And probably the best place to
start is with your furnace. Don't know if anybody's turn
it down yet. We did have that cooler spell around
Labor Day, you know what I mean, where we thought
(26:51):
we were going to have a very early fall, and
I know, like talking to my mouth. She turned it
on the one more. Can you get that she had
the chill? And I don't know that a lot of
people have.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
Yeah, you know, I can't reme.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
I think that we might have because that chill in
the morning was just got to a point if I
remember that it was too much. So I was like,
we turned it out real quick, but you know, by
afternoon it was you know, it was time. Yeah, but yes,
So this is a great time to schedule a professional
tune up and make sure your furnace is running safely
and efficiently, you know, before relying on relying on it
(27:20):
every day because you know that is coming.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
And don't forget to change those air filters.
Speaker 3 (27:25):
It is a small thing, but it does improve airflow,
It keeps your energy costs down, and it helps with
indoor air quality.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
Yeah, I mean, and it is one of those things
that you know, it's a compliment to you know, well,
excuse me. I mean, first of all, with filters, they're
an easy to forget item, but they do make a
big difference. And I don't know what your method is
to you know, remind yourself to do it, but you know,
if you're doing the furnace check before it turns on.
If you didn't replace it at the end of last season, yeah,
it's probably time to do it before we get into
(27:52):
the the new season. Now. A compliment to the furnace
is the fireplace. A lot of people like to start
using them, you know, once the way there starts to
cool off, or even at night. Now, I mean the
nights are still you know, they're getting a little bit cooler,
making give off a cozy vibe, but they do need
some attention. You shouldn't just jump in and start using.
Speaker 3 (28:09):
That right right, So, if you have a wood burning fireplace,
get the chimney inspected and clean to remove creosote build up,
which can be a fire hazard. And this is one
item that you probably are better off calling a professional
rather than trying to tackle this as a do it
your project. I wouldn't even I don't think i'd feel
competent on this one.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
Yes, exactly.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
And you know, whether it's a wood or gas fireplace,
test the damper and make sure everything is venting properly
before your first fire of the season.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
Absolutely, that's a good safety check on what to do
before using the fireplace. The other thing, when we're speaking
of safety, smoke. Carbon monoxide detectors are a another must
thing to check this time of the year. Uh, you know,
test all those detectors, replace any batteries. Make sure you've
got enough units for the size you know of your home.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
Mm hmm yep.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
And when it comes to these type of detectors, a
good rule of thumb is one on every level and
near the bedroom.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (29:07):
Absolutely. And I know, like our our personal patterns, we
always change batteries, even though in theory those batteries should
last a lot longer than a six ish month timeframe.
We always changed the batteries the weekend of the time
change you know, yea fall and spring. It's an easy
to me, it's an easy trigger remind absolutely, yeah, yep.
And here's an extra tip And this kind of came
to me after working with my mom last year. If
(29:29):
you have an elderly parent, maybe be nice and check
that for them. They don't necessarily think to check, or
they it's hard for them to reach the batteries. If
these are in ceilings, you know, are high up on
a well, you mean, depending on the style of the
home and where they were positioned. And you high up
on a wall like my eighty some year old mother
should not be on a ladder changing batteries, right. I mean,
(29:49):
so we think about it for our own house, but
if you have an elderly parent who's you know, living
in a home of their own, maybe this is something
that you can do for them during this time of
the year and check that for that.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
I love that. I think that's a great tip.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
I think that's something that probably we don't always think about.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
We take that for granted.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
Everyone's got their own house, they're they're checking their own.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
They're checking their own thing, and don't Yeah, last year
this kind of came up and it's like, okay that
that now has to be on my ratear.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
Yeah, yeah, so you have to. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
I could add a lot more, but that for a while.
From a safety perspective, So there's a couple of more
things you want to address when it comes to like
home insulation and drafts, and that's going to be doors
and windows. What do they need to know there?
Speaker 3 (30:28):
Yeah, you want to check your windows and doors for
any leaks and seal them with weather stripping or cock
It helps to keep heat in and the cold out
and help save you money. And if you have an attic,
make sure the insulation is in good shape. That not
the insulation that only keeps your house warmer, but it
also helps prevent ice dams on the roof later in
the winter.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
And you know the reality of it is is unless
you have relatively new windows or doors, the chances are
are pretty good that you're going to benefit from some
type of weather stripping or cock I mean it's it's
if you've had those in for any amount of time.
Like you said, products just get dried out, they have
the sun beating on them, you know, or whatnot, depending
on where they're positioned. So take a look at that.
The other thing you can do in this may be
(31:09):
we're not there again yet with the temperatures we've been having,
but probably in the next couple of weeks, swapping out
your screens for the storm windows. You know, that can
help with energy efficiency as we start to get start
to get cooler. Yeah, and if you haven't had if
you haven't already, and again may not given the weather
we've had, but at some point and then I'm going
to guess in the next thirty days, it's going to
be a good time to adjust your thermostat settings to
(31:32):
more aculately tongue tied, accurately reflect the season, you know,
tempts that you're going to want for moving forward. You know,
when do you want the furnace to come on at
what temperature? You know? And if you have those smart systems,
you know, get those set and you know, having that
consistency of schedule where you're not you know, different members
of the family aren't moving the little you know thing
up or down, up or down, upper down. That's not
(31:53):
very energy efficient, you know, So take advantage of the
smart systems most of us have. Yeah, put your parameters in.
Is what I want at night, is what I want
when we're there, and.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
Nobody touch it. Do not touch my parameter exactly exactly.
Speaker 3 (32:07):
And another tip for heating efficiency is if you do
have ceiling fans, you want to change the direction of
those fans. You want them to create an upward draft
so they redistribute the warm ear by the ceiling back
into the room.
Speaker 1 (32:18):
Okay, So yeah, that's another easy one that we don't
necessarily pay attention to. So many of the areas we've covered,
you know, it's if if you think about it, We've said,
there's a few things that might not be on your list,
but a lot of them. You know, if you've owned
a home many amount of time, you're like, yep, yep,
that makes sense. Gutters, yep, no, at downspouts, yeah, you know,
all of this type of stuff. One thing that may
(32:38):
not be on your list is the attic because unless
you have an unusual home, most of us don't spend
a lot of time hand out in the attic.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
Right yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly outside out of mind, that's
exactly right. So, but but it does play a huge
role in keeping your home safe and comfortable. One of
the first things to check is that you've got screens
in place and that they're in good, good shape, so
that those screens are the things that help keep the birds, squirrels,
and other critters that are looking for a warm.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Spot for winter.
Speaker 1 (33:07):
That helps keeping them out well, speaking of hurters and
flying things, I believe you had you had a little
situation where you had some unintended guests at your house.
How's all of that going?
Speaker 3 (33:19):
So? Yeah, so, so the mice are new. I think
I live like in a Scooby Doo house or something.
But yeah, we had some bats back. It was probably
like the end of July and I don't know really,
to be honest with you, this is probably more of
a when you're up on your roof and check your
right type of thing. Because what we discovered, well, we
discovered it because I have like a split colonial so
(33:41):
the my my boys, my kids, they sleep upstairs, right
and like three separate nights each boy. It told me, Mom, Mom,
I can hear this horrible scratching you know in the ceiling.
And I did actually go up there, you know myself,
and it was really disturbing, like how.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
Loud, and it almost it was to the sea, you know.
Speaker 3 (34:00):
So we definitely knew there was an issue. Called you know,
a local you know, pass control type of company. They
went on the roof and they found a lot of
entry points. And again, you know, my house is not
that old, the roof is not that old. But I
just think, whatever again, I'll like handtimes, you know, he'd expansion.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
You know.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
Cold animals are crafty little things that they're I mean,
they're looking for a way to protect themselves.
Speaker 3 (34:24):
Yes, and they have and even bats doesn't take much,
you know, much space for them to squeeze in. So
it was mostly like the ridge vents, you know, where
like all the ridge vents were and stuff like that
that they were that they were actually getting into the attic.
Speaker 2 (34:37):
So, uh like twenty five hundred dollars later and you.
Speaker 1 (34:41):
Have twenty five hundred dollars lying around. This is probably
not how you want to do.
Speaker 3 (34:44):
This is not how you want to spend it at all.
But I mean, I was really impressed with the company
that we used. They did come out, they put us
they actually almost looked like little cages on the roof
and little like tubes almost. So the bats in the evening,
you know it, we're flying out, but then they couldn't
fly back in because everything was caged off and they
couldn't get back up into those tubes. We're kind of
(35:05):
like their main entry points. Yeah, you know, and and
I believe it's worked. I haven't heard any you know,
scratch that type of thing.
Speaker 1 (35:13):
So you want to mess with Pam over to her
house at night and start.
Speaker 2 (35:16):
Scratching on it, freak me out and put me in
the next level like that?
Speaker 1 (35:21):
You know that really is You know, maybe we're but
we're you know, talking addicts and roofs and you know,
we're just again paying attention to screens to keep things
out yours may not have come in that way, but
this is why you want to check because again adds
I'm gonna say most people are not spending a lot
of time or paying a lot of attention there, but
it is it is something to go take a look at.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, you know, and think about it too,
because again it was expensive. It was expensive to get
rid of them, but they can you know, do some damage,
right and there's you know, the iguana and stuff like
that that can be health issues, you know, so that's
really something you just want to avoid.
Speaker 1 (35:54):
Yeah, you don't want to you don't want to mess
with that. And like you mentioned, you know, the the
ridge vents at the top and the soft events you
know at the eaves, they should be free of any leaves, insulation,
any debris. You know, good airflow is the key to
a healthy attic yeap exactly.
Speaker 3 (36:09):
And then you know, because if those events do get blocked,
they can trap warm air and cause ice dams on
your roof once the snow comes, and then that can
lead to water damage inside your home. So you know,
it's not just about the animal and right the critter control,
you know, it is about also protecting your roof in
your house.
Speaker 1 (36:27):
Absolutely, so before we officially wrap U because we spent
a lot of time on the exterior of the house,
we spent a little bit of time on the interior.
I mean, there's always some other things we could add,
but the show could go on for you know, two hours,
so we're trying to keep it to the most important
things for you to pay attention to before we officially wrap.
Let's touch on one topic nobody really wants to think
about yet. Well, I guess unless you're a skier or
(36:49):
a snowboarder, yes then maybe you would. But the rest
of us snow it's not here, but we know it's coming.
What are some of the basic things folks can and
should do now so that they're not going to scramble.
Speaker 3 (37:00):
Scrambled with that first snow fall or blizzard or whatever.
So the best thing you want to do is get
your supplies in order. Now pick up your ice melt
for your driveway and sidewalks, and take a look at
those snow shovels. You know, a lot of people ended
last year with the damage or broken snowshovels.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
I swear this happens to have good time too.
Speaker 3 (37:19):
And then You're just happy to shove them in the
garage and spring comes and you don't think about it,
but check them out. If you have, you know, some
damage shovels, then maybe this is the time to you know,
go and get some new ones.
Speaker 1 (37:28):
Yeah, because you get the first snow of the season
and you forgot that the shovels broke. So you go
out the garage you're getting oh no.
Speaker 2 (37:33):
Yes, terrible. Yeah, and then you got to make your
job so much harder.
Speaker 1 (37:37):
And if you've got a snowblower, if some people do
it yourself maintenance, great if you can do that. If not,
maybe schedule that service before everybody else does, especially if
it's been a few years since your equipment has been
you know, has been serviced. You want to you don't
want to be stuck in line for repairs if we
get a major you know. Yeah, I mean, the reality
of it is, and I don't know where everybody stands
(37:57):
on the changing and climates and stuff like that. It
justs that our snow season is coming a little later.
We don't tend tend now I'm gonna probably jinx it.
We don't tend to get a lot of snow anymore.
Between like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Correct, Yeah, it seems like
it's January's really the season that that seems to kick in.
So I think you have time. I mean, the good
news is you've got time to get the supplies in order.
If you need the new shovel to get things serviced, you've.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
Got to look you've got some time.
Speaker 1 (38:19):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, And here's a bonus look ahead tip
for those who love decorating for the holidays. What do
you think about tackling those outdoor lights early? I mean,
I some people will put those up, you know, well
the weather's nice, so they don't have to do it
in the cold and the and the snow doesn't mean
you have to turn the lights on, but.
Speaker 3 (38:35):
Right, you don't have to turn them on. But I
think I think it's a great time. You know, it's
safer and it's more comfortable, you know. And then I think,
you know, it's not a lot of fun to be
out there when it's you know, cold temperatures and you're
trying to you know, unstring your lights and all that
type of thing. So and we've had some really beautiful weather.
I mean, I wouldn't say turn them on. I mean, yeah,
(38:57):
you know, and you know, people get putting out their
Halloween right now.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
But if you're out there putting out your Halloween, maybe
put out your well.
Speaker 1 (39:03):
I bring this up because I mean we'll see some people,
I think, depending on the home, and especially I you've
got like really high arch points and stuff like that,
like they kind of leave the brackets or the hook
you know, kind of the hooks to put stuff in
your round. But I'm like, yeah, we've had such you know,
beautiful weather and stuff like that. And I'll even like,
you know, even early November, we can have nice days.
They may not be eighty degree days, but you have
nice days. And I'll say to my husband, don't you
(39:25):
want to like maybe go get some of the stuff out.
We don't have to turn it on, but just you
get it in place. No, he's he doesn't want to
do it till the weekend of Thanksgiving, and I think
that'll be out there, you know, and it's cold. But
his temperature gaze in mind are two very different. Always
last by the dual climate control in the car, so
he's clearly at a different But I'm like, wouldn't you
want to do it when it's nice out?
Speaker 2 (39:45):
Nope? I like doing it. Then oh oh go okay.
Speaker 1 (39:49):
So there you have it. You've got a rather robust
fall checklist for keeping your home safe, efficient, and ready
for winter. And once again I'm just going to throw
out there if you'd like a free home fall home
maintenance checklist that compliments kind of what we just covered today,
something that you can, you know, look at or print
off and have handy so you can kind of check
things off if you're If you're somebody who likes to
(40:11):
visually manually check things off, we'd be happy to provide
that to you. Just reach out to us email us
at info at Remax dash Se Michigan dot com and
we'll be happy to send that out to you. So
we hope you can tackle, you know, some of these
tags in the next couple of weeks so you can
focus on other funfall stuff like the cider mills or
(40:32):
the football games are hanging by the fire pit and
all of that. So before we go upan, what's your
favorite fall activity besides still homes.
Speaker 3 (40:41):
Yeah, besides home maintenance, I don't I think going to
the cider mail you know, I still really enjoy doing that,
you know, yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
It is amazing and I joke ause I have like
my favorite cider mill for cider, my favorite cider mill
for donuts. You know. I mean, it's like they're not
the same. It's like if I go here, oh, I
really like that this place. If I go here, I
really like that.
Speaker 2 (41:02):
Yeah. Yeah, but then it's fun. There's a couple of trips, have.
Speaker 1 (41:05):
A couple of different trips out of it.
Speaker 2 (41:07):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (41:08):
That's always good. Well, thanks again to Pam Balante for
joining us today. Happy to have you in here.
Speaker 2 (41:14):
Lots of fun.
Speaker 1 (41:15):
And for those listening, well, thank you for joining us
as well. We hope this gives you some ideas of
some of the things where you can focus your attention
to protect a big investment. Your home, for many of
us is the largest single investment that we have, and
you want to do your best to protect it so
you don't have to spend your discretionary income chasing out
mice bats, fixing the roofs and windows. I mean, some
(41:38):
of these things are just over time you do. But
I mean, let's not hurry the process. Let's get out
there and protect that investment. For those of you listening,
have a great week, and we look forward to chatting
with you again soon. We hope you enjoyed today's episode.
Don't forget to subscribe, write a review, or rate the show,
as it helps us reach more people. You can also
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