Fall is in the air. There is a certain crispness to it as one can feel the seasons slowly changing. Parents are excited to have kids back in school, hunters are anticipating a successful season, and skiers are readying for winter. Around the house, fall is an important time of year to prepare the home for the coming cold months. Here’s a quick to-do list before the snow flies.

Prepare the heating system. Make sure all filters are changed and have a few extra on hand. Schedule a professional tune up of your system. With the labor shortage in Bozeman, it might be best to plan this well in advance. A well-tuned system will hopefully prevent late night outages when technicians are even harder to reach. Plus, a properly serviced heating system should run more efficiently.

Remove exterior hoses. If left connected when temps drop, hoses can cause the exterior hose bib or faucet to freeze and burst the pipes. If you own rental properties, remember to remind your tenants as well. Drain the water from hoses and prepare for storage. Store paints and other liquids indoors. Look around the garage for items that might be ruined if allowed to freeze.

Prepare your roof and gutter system to drain away the coming snow. As snow falls and then melts, the roofing and gutter system will be put to the test by freezing and melting snow, ice, and water. After the leaves have fallen, clean the gutters and check gutters and downspouts. Downspout extensions often get bumped by the lawnmower or kicked by the kids. Make sure the system is prepared to move water out and away from the foundation.

Look for air leaks. Check around doors and windows for areas of missing or worn caulking. If needed, add weather stripping and insure the house is air tight and ready to hold the heat in. If your home has a wood burning fireplace, get the chimney cleaned and inspected.
Prep your mower and any other gas engines that won’t be used for storage by adding fuel stabilizer to the system, or consider having them tuned up so they are ready to go in the spring. If your home has an underground sprinkler system, that will need to be blown out as well, most likely by a professional with a large air compressor.

In just a few hours, you can have your home prepped and ready to keep you comfortable until the grass turns green again. As usual, I have included the latest Real Estate statistics. The Real Estate market has stayed busy through the summer as prices have taken a historic rise. In addition to the homes sold in the first 8 months of 2021, another 149 home sales are currently pending or under contract.

The included data reflects sales of homes in the greater Bozeman area, including Four Corners, Gallatin Gateway, Bridger Canyon, and Bozeman city limits. The data includes home sales reported through the local Big Sky Country MLS, and does not include private party sales, Condominiums, or Townhouses.