The weather outside may not be frightful yet, but it certainly will be soon. Smart real estate investors should take advantage of the mild temperatures to get their homes ready for the snow and ice. Here are four ways to make sure your real estate investment stays cozy and safe all winter long.
1) Tune up your furnace. The last thing you want is for your home’s heating system to break down in the middle of the winter. Call in an HVAC specialist to inspect your furnace and ducts. Stock up on furnace filters, and remove anything around your heater that might catch fire after prolonged exposure to the ambient heat.
2) Seal interior leaks. Blocking interior leaks is important if you want to keep your home well insulated this season. Try holding a lit candle near your windows, door frames and electrical outlets. If the flame flickers or the smoke moves in unexpected ways, you know you’ve got some caulking to do. Tacky rope also works well as a quick-fix alternative.
3) Reverse your fan. If you’ve got a ceiling fan in your house, you can switch its direction in order to aid with heat distribution. Rather than pulling all the hot air upwards, the fan will force it downwards throughout the room. It’s a great way to reduce your heating bill, one that not enough homeowners know about.
4) Clean your gutters. You’re running out of time to scrape that leafy gunk out of your gutters, so grab a pair of gloves and a ladder and get to work. Blockages in your drainage system are bad enough, but if that sludge freezes, it could warp or even break your gutters. Worse, ice dams can cause water to seep under the shingles and into the house. If your property is located in an area where ice has been a problem in recent years, gutter heaters may be a worthwhile investment.
If you haven’t taken these steps to prepare your real estate investment for winter, you should put them at the top of your list. This season won’t be kind to houses, especially empty ones, so it’s important for real estate investors to do everything they can to ensure that their properties stay warm and safe until the spring.
