Fall Home Maintenance Tips With Vendor Recommendations

Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA, D.C. and MD with McEnearney Associates in Vienna. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @LauraSchwartzRealtor or her Facebook page. Laura can be reached at 703-283-6120 or [email protected].

The wind and rain yesterday had me checking my drains and downspouts, but I know not everyone has a fall “to do” list for prepping their home for the winter.

I hope you’ll take into consideration some of these suggestions to get your house ready for the colder months. I’m including some of my favorite vendors below, but if you want my full list of go to people, you can download it for free here.

• Clean your gutters! You may need to do this a few times depending on how many trees are around your home, but make sure you check that the gutters stay empty to allow rain/snow somewhere to go! My go to: Maple Leaf and Gutterman Services.
• Check your drains, especially if you have basement stairs — the easiest way to prevent water in your basement is to keep the drains free and clear of debris! You can do this yourself. Also check gutter downspouts that they’re not blocked by leaves or other debris.
• Have your chimney checked and cleaned. You want to have it checked for cracks to make sure the smoke doesn’t blow back into your house. I use Chimney Doctor (they give a 10% off coupon if you say a realtor referred you). If you have gas fireplace and need help, call Mike at Nova Green Energy.
• Get rid of the leaves! Town of Vienna has leaf collection, but in case you miss your day, or just want to bag up the leaves and dispose of them, my go to is Victor’s Lawn Services (703-593-7776) or [email protected].
• Having any issues with your appliances? Call Vienna local Master Appliance Service.
• Winterize your hose bibs! When our temp drops below freezing, your water lines to the outdoor can freeze and then burst. Find the shut off valves and turn them off, then turn on the hose bibs outside to let all of the water drain out. Leave it like that until the weather warms up again next spring. If you know where your shut offs are, this is easy to do yourself. If you need help and need a plumber, try Hicks Plumbing, Don’t forget to bring hoses inside.
• Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors! Make sure there are new batteries installed and if the device is more than 10 years old, replace it!
• Have your HVAC serviced. This should be done twice a year, but you don’t want to run into an unexpected issue. I use Mannix Heating and Cooling.
• If you’ve just moved or just bought a home, go buy a shovel now! You can get them at McLean Hardware.
• Holiday Décor! One of my neighbors already has their white holiday lights up and it brought so much joy just seeing them! If you’re looking to have holiday lights installed, many landscaping companies will do it. You can also try Shack Shine, Wheat’s, or Christmas Illuminations.

Bonus Tip: Have a long list of general to-do items you want repaired? Change out some lights, touch up painting, or change some tile? My handyman can do it all: C&M Handyman.