Are you taking your home maintenance seriously enough? With El-Nino coming this winter, it is especially important that you prepare your home for the upcoming winter. While we’re the first to say homeowner maintenance guides can be overwhelming (no, I am not going to seal my driveway 3x a year-whoever does that deserves an award from Home Depot), there are a few basic precautions every owner should take before cozying up to a fire and busting out the long Russian novels.

1. Clean the gutters. After raking the leaves on your lawn (and allowing the kidlets a few leaf-pile cannonballs), be sure to clear them from your gutters and roofing drainage systems. Clean gutters prevent roof leaks and ice damage in December. Dealing with leaks is always a pain, dealing with one when the entire extended family is in town for the holidays is more than your average pain. It might also be time to invest in quality gutters with built-in leaf guards, which will save you hassle in the future.
2. Prepare the chimney and fireplace. We are not especially big fans of carbon monoxide poisoning and recommend that you service your fireplace properly before winter. Besides, is there any better combination than a warm fire and a Utah winter?
3. Service major appliances. Ever had to wait two weeks to get your furnace or water heater serviced in the winter? No good. Set yourself up for success. Get your major appliances looked at, serviced, or replaced in time for winter.
4. Caulk the windows. Caulking your windows prevents heat from escaping and water and ice from coming in. It’s a simple preventive measure that could be the difference between one comforter and 5 extra-fluffy down numbers. Be smart.
5. Check for plumbing problems. Again, you don’t want to be dealing with plumbing issues in the dead of winter. Water damage is the number one cause of home value depreciation. The best way to ensure your home’s longevity and re-sell price is to take steps to prevent water damage.
6. Make sure the snowblower is functional. Ya. We live in Utah. Don’t be caught unprepared by that freak October storm we get once a year.

Have a lovely fall. Enjoy your pumpkin spice lattes, trick-or-treating, squash soup, and Ugg boots. We sure are.