Your Fall Home Checklist: A Niagara Realtor and Painter's Guide

A couple of hours of work this fall can save you a costly repair come spring. I've seen it from both sides: as a Niagara local who has spent over a decade running a painting company, and now as a Realtor walking through homes with buyers and sellers.

Niagara winters bring freeze-thaw cycles, lake-effect snow and plenty of wet, slushy days. Those are hard on a house, and the small things you skip in October tend to show up as bigger problems in April.

With Thanksgiving weekend coming up, it's a great time to take a walk around your home. Here's the checklist I use myself.

Outside the house

• Clean out the gutters and downspouts. Wait until most of the leaves have dropped, then clear them out. Make sure downspouts carry water at least a few feet away from your foundation, not right beside it.
• Finish exterior painting while you still can. This is my painter side talking. Most exterior paints need dry weather and temperatures that stay above a certain point overnight, so check the can before you start. In Niagara, that window usually closes sometime in October. If you miss it, a quick touch-up on bare or peeling wood can wait for spring, but don't leave raw wood exposed all winter.
• Check the caulking around windows and doors. Cracked or shrinking caulk lets in cold air and water. A tube of exterior caulk and an afternoon goes a long way.
• Shut off and drain your outdoor taps. Turn off the indoor valve that feeds each outside tap, then open the tap outside to let the water drain. Disconnect your garden hoses too. A frozen pipe is one of the most common winter headaches I hear about.
• Look at the ground around your foundation. The soil should slope away from your house. If water pools near the walls after a rain, add some soil to fix the slope before the ground freezes.
• Put away or cover patio furniture and the barbecue. Snow and ice are tough on cushions, finishes and metal.

Inside the house

• Book a furnace check and change the filter. Heating companies get busy fast once the first cold snap hits, so it's worth calling now. A fresh filter helps your furnace run better all winter.
• Test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Press the test button on each one and swap the batteries. In Ontario, you need a working smoke alarm on every storey, and a carbon monoxide alarm near sleeping areas if your home has a fuel-burning appliance like a gas furnace or fireplace.
• Test your sump pump if you have one. Pour a bucket of water into the pit and make sure the pump kicks on. Spring thaw is when you'll need it most.
• Find the drafts. On a windy day, hold your hand near windows, doors and outlets on outside walls. Weatherstripping and foam outlet gaskets are cheap and easy to put in yourself.
• Reverse your ceiling fans. Most fans have a small switch on the base. Running them clockwise on low pushes warm air back down into the room.

Thinking about selling in the spring?

If you might list next year, this fall checklist does double duty. Buyers and home inspectors look closely at the exact things above: water stains, drafty windows, peeling exterior paint and an old furnace. Taking care of them now means fewer surprises later.

A few more things that help you get ahead over the winter:

• Keep a simple list of repairs and upgrades, with rough dates. Buyers love knowing the furnace was serviced or the roof was done in a certain year.
• Start decluttering one room at a time. Winter is the perfect time to sort through closets and the basement, so you're not rushing in March.
• Plan your interior painting. Indoor painting can happen any time of year. A fresh coat in a neutral colour is one of the most affordable ways to make a home feel clean and move-in ready.
• Talk to a Realtor early. A quick chat in the fall or winter helps you figure out what's worth fixing, what to leave alone and what your timing could look like.

Have a question about your home?

Whether you're settling in for the winter or starting to think about a move, I'm happy to help. I'll give you honest, straight-forward advice, with the eye of someone who has spent years working inside Niagara homes.

Call or text me at (289) 946-5549, or reach out through my website. There's no pressure, and no question is too small.

Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours!

Meagan Starostic, REALTOR®, Real Broker Ontario Ltd., Brokerage