Autumn is a beautiful time of the year – crunchy leaves, gorgeous colours and frosty mornings. But it also comes with its own unique seasonal problems.
If you’re looking to sell a property then it’s essential that you’re continuing to keep up with general maintenance, so your home is attractive to buyers.
Doing everything all at once can be overwhelming, which means that being aware of problems that can occur in autumn and what you need to keep on top of is a good idea.
Let’s look at a few maintenance fixes you can tackle this autumn.
Leaves!
Clearing away leaves can feel like a fruitless task. One minute you’ve raked away and disposed of all the fallen leaves in your garden and the next time you look, they’re all back again! But consistently getting rid of leaf build-up on your property is better than leaving them to pile up and decay.
Fallen leaves can look pretty, but they can inhibit grass growth in the future. They’ll also prevent buyers from being able to see the space and potential in your garden and will create the impression that your garden is uncared for.
It’s also super important to clear away leaves from pathways, as they can become a slippery hazard.
Guttering
Leaves can also collect in a property’s guttering, which can cause serious structural problems without any intervention. Maintaining your guttering can be a low priority, because it’s not easy to see and you might not be aware of the extent of the damage. For example, until rainwater starts spilling, it’s possible to not have known that guttering was cluttered with leaves or another blockage.
When rainwater collects or spills down your property, it can cause damp or more substantial issues and will be something buyers are looking out for, so gutter maintenance is essential.
Heating and Energy Efficiency
As the temperatures drop even more, this is a good chance to audit your heating system and check it’s up to scratch. Buyers are especially interested in the energy efficiency of your home, as it can be indicative of the bills they’ll have to pay and for environmental reasons too.
Monitoring your radiators and boilers, checking for draughts and making sure your property is insulated will all help to make it an appealing prospect to buyers. It’s something that will be an important priority, as buyers don’t want to have to make costly changes to a property and have lots of work done when they move in, especially in the winter months if a property isn’t warm enough.
Damage Control
Over the summer, you’ve probably got plenty of garden furniture that you use to entertain guests and host bbqs. Or you’re in and out of your shed getting bikes, toys and all sorts out for summer activities. When autumn/winter comes around, ensuring that furniture, sheds, greenhouses etc are protected from the weather and won’t sustain damage means that when summer comes around, everything will be in tip top shape and you won’t have to replace items or structures when you’re showing buyers around. Use covers, put certain items in storage and repair structures to prevent future damage.
For more advice and info, contact our team at Home EA today.
