If you’ve just bought a new home with your VA Home Loan, you might not know how to properly prepare it for the winter months. Even though it might seem like the Idaho summer is just now coming to a close, that doesn’t mean it isn’t time to start thinking about winter and how to prepare your home for the change of seasons. With the right preparation, you can be assured that there will be no unnecessary damage resulting from the winter conditions.
Check Your Gutters
The leaves changing colors in the fall are a beautiful sight to see, but it could lead to problems later as they start to drop off of the trees and into your gutters. As they build up in the gutters, it can make it harder for rainwater to get through them, which puts extra stress on the gutters themselves. During the transition between fall and winter, it’s a good idea to clean the leaves and debris out of your gutters so that they can handle the winter elements.
Blow Out Your Sprinklers
It’s important to make sure that there’s no water in your sprinkler system by the time freezing temperatures come around. If you don’t, the leftover water will freeze in the pipes and leave you with an expensive bill come springtime. For something like this, it’s best to have a professional come out and do it for you. However, you can do things like putting covers on your outdoor water faucets to protect those pipes from winter conditions. This doesn’t have to happen until the weather starts to cool down, but it’s always a good idea to think ahead and be prepared for when that time comes.
Check Your HVAC System
This is one that is often overlooked, but just as important as the rest. One of the worst things is waking up in the morning wanting to take a warm, relaxing shower to get your day started just to find out that your water heater isn’t working properly and having to endure a cold shower instead. As the cooler weather settles in, you’ll probably also want to have a working heater with proper ventilation throughout your whole house. There are plenty of online guides that can walk you through the process of checking your HVAC system by yourself, but it’s suggested that you hire a professional to fix any issues that come up in your inspection.
If you are facing a bigger, more expensive problem with your home than you thought, VA Home Loans can help! While most loans are used to purchase a new home or to refinance a mortgage, they can also be used to pay for repairs or renovations to a current home. If you have any questions regarding how you can utilize a VA Home Loan, contact us today!
