Seasonal Home Maintenance Checklist

Your home is most likely your biggest asset. Keeping your house well-maintained makes your home more enjoyable, cleaner, and healthier. And when you are ready to part way with your house, you can get a better price and sell it faster if it is well-maintained. Here is a checklist to help you maintain your home throughout the four seasons of the year.

Spring

• Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Change batteries as needed.
• Inspect HVAC air filter. Replace or clean as needed.
• Clean your windows inside and outside, including areas around the windows.
• Check window and door screens for holes and tears.
  • Make repairs or replace the screens as needed.
  • Replace your windows’ caulk and weather stripping.
• Test your sump pump in the basement. Sump pump pulls water away from your house and prevents flooding. If you have a sump pump, test it to make sure it is working.
• Inspect your roof. Look for missing or loose shingles, and clear away any debris that may have accumulated on the roof over the winter.
• Remove leaves and debris out of the gutters and downspouts. Wash off the gutters with water to check for leaks. 
• Repair cracks in the driveway. Re-coat the driveway if needed (asphalt driveway only).
• Inspect ground around your house foundation.
  • Trim away bushes, hedges, and trees that are too close to your house.
  • If ground slopes toward the house, add soil and top off with mulch to build a slope away from the house.
  • Check downspout extensions and diverters to make sure they carry water away from the house.
• Get a pest inspection and do treatments as needed.
• Service your lawn equipment.
• Apply pre-emergent weed killer and fertilizer to your lawn.
• Inspect your well and septic system.

Summer

• Inspect HVAC air filter. Replace or clean as needed.
• Clean your siding.
  • For vinyl siding, power wash your siding to prevent mold from building up.
  • For wood siding, lightly clean and do touch up painting as needed 
• Touch up painting any exterior surfaces that have cracking or peeling paint.
• Re-stain or re-coat decks, porches, and patios.
• Flush your water heater.
• Clean lint from the dryer exhaust.
• Trim bushes and hedges, and prune your trees.
• Lubricate doors, windows, and garage doors.

Fall

• Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Change batteries as needed.
• Inspect HVAC air filter. Replace or clean as needed.
• Inspect and clean your fireplace and chimney.
• Clean the gutters and downspouts.
• Aerate the lawn.
• Apply fertilizer and seeds.
• Service your snowblower

Winter

• Store away lawn equipment and outdoor furniture.
• Drain and winterize exterior water spigots.
• Have salt and shovels ready.
• Insulate doors and windows as needed.
• Recaulk kitchen and bathrooms as needed.

Pinyo Bhulipongsanon

Pinyo is a full-service Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices PenFed Realty and an insurance agent with McEvoy Insurance & Financial Services. He specializes in representing clients in the purchase and sale of residential and investment properties throughout Virginia and Maryland areas around DC.