Make Sure to Check These Home Maintenance Tasks off Your To-Do List Before Winter Hits

Fall is in full swing! While fall is best known for amazing weather, foliage, and fun autumn-themed activities (think apple picking and pumpkin patches), it’s also the perfect time to get your home ready for winter.

But which tasks do you need to knock off your home maintenance to-do list in the fall to make sure your property is ready for the winter?

An article from realtor.com outlined key maintenance tasks homeowners should plan to tackle during the fall season, including:

• Check your home’s insulation. Without proper insulation, heat can escape your home - and as temperatures drop in fall and winter, your home’s heating system will have to work harder to keep your home nice and warm, which can drive up costs. Before it gets too chilly outside, make sure to get your home’s insulation checked out - and, if necessary, replace or upgrade the insulation to ensure your home is properly insulated come winter.
• Test your home's indoor air quality. Fall can bring up allergies from mold, pollen and dander - and there are some easy ways to reduce these certain triggers. Besides changing your furnace filter or adjusting the humidity - you can also find indoor air monitoring devices that can check multiple air levels in your home, as well as using an air purifier within your home to improve air quality.
• Trim the trees. Trimming your trees is a chore—but if you don’t do it before winter (and winter winds, snow, and storms hit), those dead branches can cause damage to your home and property. Before winter winds and storms hit, make sure to trim your trees; if the branches are low enough, you can DIY the trimming—but if you have tall trees that need trimming, definitely consider calling in a professional to help.
• Clear brush and leaves to keep pests out. Keeping debris and leaves away from your foundation helps prevent pests from moving in this winter. Once cleared, if you continue to have issues with pests coming into your home - make sure any holes or cracks are dealt with or call an expert to avoid infestations. 
• Winterize your pool.  When Winterizing your home - make sure to take care of your pool. Winterizing your pool is the best way to make sure you don't run into problems when you open back up in the summer. From cleaning, chemical treatments, covering the pool securely and more - luckily most of these tasks are DIY friendly but if you don't have time to run through the list or new to pool maintenance there are many professionals in our area.
• Prepare for power outages. Power outages are never fun—but they’re especially not fun in the dead of winter. If you live in an area that’s prone to winter storms, you may want to consider investing in a back-up generator; that way, you can ensure you’ll have power when you need it—even when challenging winter weather takes down the power lines.