Now that we are in the dead of winter, there are still opportunities to do maintenance on your Cape Cod Home.  This is a great time of year to identify leaks, drafts, or other issues that arise with the cold weather.  Some of the biggest potential risks at this time of year are leaks from ice dams, or frozen and broken pipes.  Take some time to walk through your attic and basement spaces and seek out potential drafts and seal them with foam.  Even a small amount of preventative maintenance at this time of year can save you from a very expensive repair! 

If you are heading south for the winter, and leaving your Cape Cod Home unattended, this is a good time to confirm all of your contact information with your homewatch or alarm service company.  Another inexpensive option is to have either a freeze alarm or water sensor installed to quickly identify a potential freeze or leak as soon as possible. 

For more information click here: January Home Maintenance Checklist

   In our years of experience, we have become all too familiar with the results of poor or improper home maintenance in the fall.  Whether you are in an existing home, New Home or have recently completed a Renovation or Addition, you should make sure you complete these tasks at a minimum to avoid problems during the winter and next spring:

1. Drain your outdoor shower - every year we get calls for damaged pipes, walls, carpets, and flooring resulting from a frozen shower valve outside. These repairs are expensive and time consuming.
2. Blowout / Drain Lawn Sprinklers - Have a professional drain and blow out your lawn sprinkler heads to avoid costly repairs and leaks from frozen heads and pipes
3. Remove & Store Screens - We always recommend removal and storage of window and porch screens for the winter. They collect ice and snow and can easily rip in high winds. Clean the screens as your remove them and store them in the basement and they will be ready to go for next year.
4. HVAC Service - Your HVAC system should be serviced at least annually to ensure effiency, safety and proper function.  And at a minimum filters should be changed monthly during the peak heating and cooling seasons
5. Clean Gutters / Drains - Leaf-clogged gutters are one of the major contrubutors to ice dams and water leaks in homes. The gutters need to be checked and cleaned regularly

These simple steps can really save you time and expense over the winter.  If you have questions or need help with these types of items, you should contact our Small Projects Division by clicking below:   

   Fall is a great time to take care of those necessary, but not so fun home maintenance tasks to get your home ready for winter. Here are a few things you should be thinking about:

1. Check smoke detectors and replace batteries
2. Have your chimney cleaned
3. Have your heating system and hot water heater serviced
4. Change HVAC filters
5. Repair or replace damaged screens and windows
6. Clear leaves around your foundation and flower beds.

MSN Real Astate has a thorough checklist for each season, and you can click here to see what they recommend for October: October Home Checklist

If you have things that you need done around your home, and need some help, REEF has created a small projects division that can handle these repairs for you! Click below to see how we can help you:

    Fall is here, or at least on it's way to Cape Cod, and with fall comes leaves.  Managing leaves can be quite a chore to get rid of, but fall leaves can also have some benefits.  The other problem with most Cape Cod Homes involves pine needles.  Excessive pine needles on a lawn can raise the soil acidity and kill the lawn very quickly. 

    Many experts suggest using a mulching mower to chop the leaves up and leave them right on the lawn.  The mulched leaves add vital nutrients to the lawn, and act as an inexpensive, yet very effective fertilizer. 

Here is an article from MSN Real Estate with 8 tips for managing leaves at your Cape Cod Home this fall: 8 Smart Ways to Deal with Leaves

   The summer is a great time to get ahead on some important home maintenance.  Energy efficiency improvements, exterior cleaning and repairs, and pruning and landscaping are all smart investments in the summer. It is also a great time to schedule your heating system cleaning and maintenance for the year.  Don't get caught in October or November on that first cold night with a broken furnace or boiler. Also, there are still a lot of incentives available for energy efficiency upgrades like insulation, doors, and windows, and new heating and cooling equipment.

If you would like to find out more about the incentives available, please contact us:

Here are some other maintenance tips from msn.com: http://realestate.msn.com/july-home-maintenance-checklist

   Even though you may be moving into a completely new home, with everything under warranty, there are some basic things that everyone should know when it comes to owning a new home.  At REEF, we conduct a thorough walkthrough with our customers, identifiying critical items, such as water main locations, electrical service locations, HVAC and other filters that must be changed regularly, septic system location and maintenance, and general maintenance tips for their new home. 

  Realtor.com has published an article identifying tips for new homeowners that we felt covered some basic, but important items: seven-helpful-tips-for-new-homeowners

If you have questions about your new or old homes, and want to ask an expert, you can always contact us at REEF by clicking below: