Homeowner Maintenance Checklist

As a seasonal homeowner in Southwest Florida, you enjoy wonderful subtropical winters. But, did you know that winter is the best season to begin preparing your home for summer? Now is the time for you to review a maintenance checklist to ensure you are ready for summer. For instance, resealing your home’s exterior walls and windows in the winter can actually improve your home’s temperature and humidity levels in the summer. Points like this are especially important if you leave your Florida home vacant during the hot and rainy summer months.

Here is a simple home maintenance checklist to guide you through the year so that you can keep your house on a healthy track to maintaining its market value.

Each Month:

Clean the drains to prevent water backup / flooding and odors in your home.
Here is an effective economical and eco-friendly method:

1. Pour a pot of boiling hot water down your drain
2. Dump in about 1/2 cup baking soda and let that sit for a few minutes
3. Pour a mixture of 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup very hot water down the drain over the baking soda and let sit for 5-10 minutes
4. Flush one more time with a pot of boiling water

Spring:

• Check outdoor air conditioner equipment. Remove any debris, trash or leaves that may have landed on or near the condenser unit. Trim any plant or tree growth away from the outdoor AC unit. Schedule a pre-summer maintenance appointment with a reputable technician
• Examine roof shingles
• Check and clean gutters
• Fill concrete cracks
• Check outside faucets and hoses for cracks or leaks
• Change air conditioner filters to keep pollutants out of your home
• Test Smoke Alarms and replace batteries if the test button does not activate

Summer:

• Inspect decks, stairs or other wooden structures for rot or termite damage. If you have a deck by a seawall or boat dock, be sure to maintain it before hurricane season to prevent small damage from becoming worse.
• Weatherproof wooden surfaces every year or two to provide further protection
• Change air conditioner filters to keep pollutants out of your home

Fall:

• Clean garbage disposal
• Inspect appliances, (dishwasher, stove and refrigerator), to ensure they are working properly. If you have a service agreement for any of these appliances, make an appointment.
• Schedule a post-summer maintenance checkup or your AC system. It worked very hard during the South Florida summer.
• Inspect the attic for signs of moisture
• Change air conditioner filters to keep pollutants out of your home
• Test Smoke Alarms and replace batteries if the test button does not activate

Winter:

• Reseal exterior walls and windows as needed
• Look for indications of infestation
• Change air conditioner filters to keep pollutants out of your home.

Home Watch

If you will be gone for the summer season, how do you plan to maintain your home? Hiring a professional service like G-Man Home Watch is the best way to ease your burden. A Home Watch company can save you a lot of time, money and aggravation by serving as your eyes and ears while you are away. In addition to monitoring the condition of your home, G-Man Home Watch can regularly report on the status of lawn care, pool care, other services you have hired to give you total peace of mind that your home is being well-maintained, both inside and out.

G-Man Home Watch is insured and bonded, as well as accredited by the National Home Watch Association. G-Man Home Watch offers discreet, dependable, and documented, services at affordable rates. Let G-Man Home Watch be your Most Trusted Neighbor to serve as your advocate and protect your piece of paradise from damage and unforeseen events. To learn more, visit our website at www.gmanhomewatch.com and call today at (941) 621-5254 or email us at info@gmanhomewatch.com for a free in-home consultation.