Top Ten Fall Home Improvement Projects: Maintain Your Home's Value

Low-Cost Maintenance Planning to Avoid Costly Housing Repairs Later

It seems hard to think about fall maintenance when it is still warm and sunny outside. Although tempted to put it off till the weather gets chilly, I've learned the hard way that getting someone to come out and fix a broken water heater or balky furnace in the middle of freezing cold temperatures isn't nearly as easy as getting someone to prevent potential problems ahead of time - preferably during mild fall weather. My husband and I have lived in the same home for over 10 years, inevitably making some mistakes along the way when it comes to fall home improvement and maintenance projects. Hopefully, passing along what we've learned can end up saving you money as well. Here's our top ten fall home improvements and "musts" that help maintain our home's value, year after year,while possibly saving us money on costly home repairs in the long run:

Before we do anything else, our first fall home improvement step is to pick up the phone and call a good home inspector

This may seem a bit puzzling. Why would anyone want to call a home inspector during the fall? A home inspector might seem necessary when buying or selling a home...but as part of a fall home maintenance program? However, we've found that a good inspector can catch small problems early and alert us to issues we might have missed before we face the harsh reality of a home repair problem in the winter. Having an inspection as part of our Fall home maintenance process has caught exterior siding issues as well as roofing problems. With a steep roof, my husband and I aren't inclined to go crawling around up there ourselves. Last year's inspection caught some loose roof tiles which could have led to a major leak if snow, ice and slush had gotten under those tiles and caused major roof damage.

Cost for a home inspection: This can vary. In our area, it costs between $250 and $400. According to the receipt I have, last year's inspection was $400 for a two story home, including crawl space. When you think of the potential savings, this seems a very reasonable price. A roof leak can quickly turn into an expensive problem, requiring major roof repairs.