It’s a week into October and fall is officially here. The change of seasons is always a good time for your clients to do a little maintenance and spruce up the interior and exterior of their homes before winter hits.

Here’s a checklist of things home owners, and those thinking about selling their homes in the next few months, might want to accomplish:

1. Interior

• Check the windows and doors for energy efficiency. It will help keep the home warm and save cost. Swap summer screens for storm shutters on windows and check weatherstripping around doors.
• Inspect the batteries in the smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector – or better yet just replace them all together.
• Think ahead to the holidays and see if there are changes to make to living spaces that might host gatherings, especially the dining room.

2. Exterior

• Keep up with raking leaves as they fall, to avoid an exhausting job once they are all on the ground.
• Clean out the gutters and inspect the roof to help prevent winter weather damage.
• Remove hoses and shut off water in exterior pipes to protect against freezing.
• Replace exterior light bulbs and consider installing additional lighting if it’s necessary for the evenings that get darker earlier.

3. Fun

• Decorate the home with gourds and pumpkins. Not only are they fun and inexpensive, they add a nice burst of seasonal color to the interior and exterior of the home.
• Avoid the holiday crowds and start planning a gift list now. This is especially true if making homemade presents is on the agenda. Planning now will save a lot stress and running around as the holidays approach.

Reprinted with Permission from RealtorMag (www.realtormag.org). Copyright 2015.