A house in York Region or Simcoe County goes through four very different seasons every year: deep freezes, a wet spring thaw, humid summers and a fall that can turn to snow overnight. Most of the costly repairs we see when a home comes to market started as a small job that got missed in one of those seasons. A clogged eavestrough becomes a wet basement. A garden hose left connected becomes a burst pipe.
This is the checklist we give new homeowners on our team. Print it, put it on the fridge, and work through it season by season.
Fall: get ready for freezing weather
Shut off and drain outdoor taps. Disconnect hoses, close the indoor shut-off valve for each outside tap and open the tap to let it drain. Do it before the first hard frost, which can arrive in October in much of York Region and Simcoe County.
Clean the eavestroughs and downspouts once most of the leaves are down, and make sure every downspout discharges well away from the foundation.
Book a furnace service and change the filter. A technician can also check the heat exchanger and venting.
Seal gaps around windows, doors and where pipes or wires enter the house. Drafts are money leaving through the walls.
Bring in or cover outdoor furniture and store the air-conditioner cover where you can find it next spring.
Winter: protect the house from the inside
Keep the heat on if you travel. A thermostat set too low in a cold snap is the most common cause of frozen pipes we hear about.
Watch for ice dams along the roof edge. Icicles and water stains on upper-floor ceilings usually point to heat escaping into the attic.
Keep furnace and dryer vents clear of snow, especially after a big storm. Blocked vents can push exhaust back into the house.
Change the furnace filter every one to three months while the system is running hard.
Know where your main water shut-off is before you need it, and show everyone in the house.
Spring: deal with the thaw
Test the sump pump, if you have one, before the snow melts. Pour a pail of water into the pit and make sure it starts and drains.
Walk the outside of the house. Look for cracked foundation parging, lifted shingles, and low spots in the lawn or gardens that slope toward the house instead of away from it.
Clean the eavestroughs again and check that downspout extensions survived the winter.
Look at the basement after the first heavy rain. Dampness, a musty smell or a white chalky line on the concrete are worth a closer look now, not when you sell.
Service the air conditioner and clean the outdoor unit before the first hot week.
Summer: the outside jobs
Check the deck and fences for loose boards, popped nails and soft wood, and reseal the deck if water no longer beads on it.
Trim trees and shrubs back from the roof, siding and air-conditioning unit.
Clean the dryer vent all the way to the outside. Lint build-up is a fire risk and makes the dryer work harder.
Caulk and paint exterior trim while it is dry and warm enough for products to cure properly.
All year: safety first
Ontario's Fire Code requires a working smoke alarm on every storey of your home and outside all sleeping areas. If your home has a fuel-burning appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage, you also need a carbon monoxide alarm outside the sleeping areas. Test your alarms every month, change batteries twice a year when the clocks change, and replace alarms when they reach the end of the lifespan printed on the back.
Why this matters when you sell
We have been selling homes north of Toronto since 1989, and well-kept houses sell faster and with fewer surprises in the home inspection. Buyers' inspectors look for exactly the things on this list: water, drainage, roofs, furnaces and safety. A home that has been looked after season by season is simply easier to sell.
If you are thinking about selling in the next year or two and want to know which repairs are worth doing and which are not, call us at (905) 830-9111. You can also get a quick estimate of your home's value at MyValue.ca.
