THE HOMEOWNER COLLECTION · FALL

Fall Home
Maintenance

Your First-Year Checklist

Fall in Northern Virginia is the hinge season. What you do (or skip) between now and the first hard freeze decides how your winter goes.

Fall is the
hinge season.

What you do — or skip — between now and
the first hard freeze decides how your
winter goes.

01

EXTERIOR

Protect the structure.

02

HVAC + SYSTEMS

Prepare before temperatures drop.

03

INTERIOR

Protect the structure.

Outside the house

Prepare the exterior before freezing temperatures arrive.

Clean the gutters — twice.
Once after the first big leaf drop, again after the last leaves fall. Clogged gutters back up water against your roofline and siding, and in a freeze-thaw cycle that water expands and does real damage.

Direct water away from your foundation.
Downspouts should carry water at least 4–6 feet from the house. Extend them before winter if you’re seeing erosion or pooling.

Inspect the roof from the ground.
Look for missing, curled, or lifted shingles, and check flashing around chimneys and vents.

Seal gaps and cracks.
Walk the exterior and check where pipes, cables, or vents enter the house. Gaps let in cold air and pests looking for a winter home.

Drain hoses & shut off exterior spigots.
A hose left connected can trap water in the spigot line and cause it to freeze and crack.

Inspect your chimney before first use.
Creosote buildup is a real fire risk.

4 - 6 ft

The recommended distance your downspouts
should carry water away from the house.

Small preventative details can protect
much larger investments.

HVAC & Systems

Comfort begins before
the temperature drops.

Tune-up

Schedule a fall HVAC tune-up
Have a technician check your furnace or heat pump before you need it, not after.

Filter

Replace your furnace filter
 Standard filters run 60–90 days; if you have pets or allergies, check monthly.

Heat Test

Test your heat before you need it. Run it for a few minutes on a mild day so any issue surfaces while it’s still easy to get someone out.

Ceiling Fans

Reverse your ceiling fans. Switch to clockwise rotation in fall/winter — it pushes warm air back down.

Prepare now.

Enjoy winter later.

Inside the House

Small checks inside make
a big difference all winter.

SAFETY
Test smoke & CO detectors
Replace batteries. Fall is a great annual trigger since clocks change soon after.

EFFICIENCY
Check attic insulation & ventilation
Poor ventilation combined with heat loss causes ice dams in winter, when melting snow refreezes at the roof edge.

COMFORT
Look for drafts around windows & doors
A lit candle or your hand near the frame will show you where cold air is getting in.

Your first winter  

tells you a lot about      

your home.               

A NOTE FOR
NEW HOMEOWNERS

Own the home for less than a year? This is likely your first real test of these systems since closing. If anything found during the fall check-up seems bigger than routine maintenance, it’s worth getting it looked at properly rather than guessing.

TRUSTED LOCAL EXPERTS

Need a Recommendation?

Not sure whether something on your checklist needs a roofer, HVAC technician, plumber, chimney specialist or another professional? Reach out and I’ll point you toward someone I currently trust.

  • Yes. If your checklist uncovered something you’re not comfortable handling yourself, reach out. Whether you need a roofer, HVAC technician, plumber, foundation specialist, or another professional, I’m happy to point you toward someone I currently trust.

  • Not necessarily. Vendors change, and my experience with them can change over time. I regularly reassess who I feel comfortable recommending.

  • I only want to recommend professionals I would feel confident using myself today. If you ask me six months from now and receive a different recommendation than someone else received previously, it simply means my current experience or opinion has changed.

  • My goal is to give you my current, honest opinion—not to keep recommending someone simply because I recommended them in the past.

  • That’s okay. Tell me what you found during your home-maintenance check, and I can help point you in the right direction.