Tricks and Treats for Your Home

Halloween is upon us, and rather than indulging our sweet teeth this week, let’s save the candy for the costumed set and instead, focus on both tricks and treats for our homes. Jack Frost will be arriving soon, and I’m told that this year’s Farmer’s Almanac is predicting his visit to be a long, snowy one. Now is the time to seize the remaining fall days to treat your home to its cold-weather preparations. Perhaps the most important trick in preparing for the impending cooler temperatures is servicing your heating system as needed. Back in my early days of homeownership, my adulting skills were less than top notch, and so I can confidently assure you that you do not want to find yourself making an emergency call to your preferred HVAC professional on a dark, snowy night, as I once did. Halloween ghouls and goblins can offer a fright, but chattering teeth and an elevated late-night service call invoice will ensure that cold shivers run up and down your spine. Your heating system encompasses more than just your furnace. Experts recommend draining, cleaning and refilling your water heater before winter settles in, and cozy nights by the fire may turn spooky if you fail to have your chimney inspected before the season changes. As we turn up the thermostat, it most certainly ‘tis the season to ensure that your carbon monoxide detectors are freshly loaded with new batteries. No one likes to imagine the terror of a house fire, but an important winter safety trick that shouldn’t be overlooked is to make sure that your dryer’s duct and filter are both free of lint build-up. Surely, I’m not the only one that feels that doing laundry is a risk to my sanity some days – let’s make sure it’s not actually a risk to our health and well-being, as well. Outside, drain and store your outdoor hoses and winterize your exterior faucets – outdoor faucet covers are great insulation and can be found online or in most hardware stores. Raking leaves for your little trick or treaters is a fun task, as they shriek with joy and jump into the colorful piles of foliage. Less fun perhaps but also important is to check your property for any tree limbs that may need a trim or total removal before heavy snow falls and weighs them down. Take it from someone who once had a large tree crash into her home and land smack dab in the middle of her kitchen – trimming dead or overgrown limbs is highly recommended. It’s not tricky to prepare for winter if you treat yourself to the luxury of a well-timed preparation plan. Winter may be upon us soon, but with that comes the promise of the vernal equinox, and did I mention that now is the perfect time to get your spring bulbs in the ground? What a treat you will be greeted with when the world thaws out and is in bloom once again. Jessica Lipscomb is a Preston County native, and she is the Broker of Houses & More Real Estate. She can be reached at jessica@housesandmorerealestate.com.