Tips for Spring Maintenance Checklist
Whether you are gearing up to sell your home or enjoying the first year in it, spring in Alaska is an important time to handle routine winter recovery maintenance. As the saying goes "a stitch in time saves nine." This is a good reminder for those of us looking to save money on home maintenance by being proactive as well as sellers and agents who wish to stage your homes on a budget. Add these tips to your checklist to preserve the life of your home.
Add these tips to your spring maintenance checklist!
Exterior: Yard and Structural Care
- First, with the snow and icy conditions, make sure you keep your walkways and driveways clean to remove any slipping or tripping hazards. Nothing gets in the way of enjoying the season like a body cast! As you work, do a solid patrol around your house and property to make sure small maintenance items don't hit you as giant surprises in the future. The culprit is often water/ice.
- Concrete or masonry: Ice expands in cracks, making them progressively bigger over time. Check your sidewalks, driveways, foundation, and cellar or crawlspace for cracks and get them filled. Bob Vila suggests that any foundation cracks require professional attention.
- Roof: See what winter did to your shingles (cracked, shifted, or raised edges; loose nails) and look for raised or separated flashing (usually metal sheeting) and drip edges around seams in the roofing.
- Walls/Siding: A little separation in the siding can let in bugs and lead to huge repairs if water gets through. Fix cracked or peeling paint to preserve your siding come summer.
- Sprinklers: Once it is warm enough to start them, check for weak flow at the sprinkler heads and bubbles in your lawn that may indicate a break in the line.
- Gutters & Spouts: The gutter and downspout network protects your roof, foundation, and downstairs interior. Make sure they're clear, secure, and still diverting water away from the house.
- Fences: Fences make great neighbors and yours may need TLC. Your neighbors will appreciate it if your fence isn't broken or peeling.
Interior Household Care:
- Alarms: Test the batteries, and check the expiration dates on the devices themselves. Yes, they expire! So, even if the battery is good, the detector may not be. One trick is to blow out a candle and hold it near the smoke alarm, if the alarm sounds, you're good to go.
- Filters: Filters are easy cheap to replace. Doing so regularly will protect your safety and the longevity of the furnace.
- Caulking: Check for warped wood and damp spots around sinks and bathtubs, and make sure the caulking doesn't need help.
- Screens: Keep insects at bay by mending or replacing screens before enjoying open windows in the warm months.
- Window and door seals: Keep the weather where it belongs! Make sure weather stripping and window caulking are doing their jobs.
Spring Staging Suggestions:
Well-staged homes tend to sell faster and for higher sums. Consider focusing on these items to get the most from your efforts.
- Clutter = small in a buyer’s mind. With spring cleaning, you will change over your wardrobe and seasonal items. Take this opportunity to get rid of clutter. Sometimes even if you’re not ready to part with all-the-things, you’re better off getting it out of the house. Reduce your furniture and decorations to the minimum to make your house look like a show home-- because it is one!
- Lights! Coming out of winter, Alaskans are more tuned in to the natural light a home provides and may be put off by rooms that seem dark or dim. Make sure each room is well lit. Open every curtain, add mirrors in strategic places to reflect the light, and turn on a lamp or two in the dimmer rooms.
- We all feel uplifted as we start to see the snow start to melt, and hints of greenery peek up outside! Enhance your indoor space with beautiful plants. Accentuate any views of outside trees/greenery.
Read more tips on how to sell your home fast.
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