Summer’s come and almost gone. Fall has arrived, although not officially. That will happen September 22, 2016. The days are getting shorter and the mornings are turning crisp. Winter is on its way! Prepare for winter now and enjoy those long winter’s naps in comfort.

Prepare for winter outside your Brooklyn home

It’s time to wrap up summer’s outdoor lifestyle and prepare hearth and home for the beginning of the long cold spell.

• Clean, cover and store patio furniture, umbrellas, decorations and toys.
• Paint the trim, railings and decks or touch them up if that’s all they need. Remove flaking paint with a wire brush and prime bare wood before you paint.
• Check around windows and doors. Re-caulk if needed.
• Install weather-stripping and thresholds if external doors and garage doors need it in order to close tightly.
• Wash windows, inside and out.
• Drain and store garden hoses. Frost-proof spigots with a faucet insulator and blow the sprinkler system lines free of water.
• Power wash gutters and downspouts. Consider installing heating cable to prevent ice dams.
• Inspect and clean chimneys and flues.
• Repair your roof. Check your roof for curling, loose or missing shingles.
• Prepare your deck for winter. Sand splinters, repair damaged boards and reseal to protect it from rain and/or snowfall.
• Switch out your screen doors for a storm door. Clean and repair screens prior to storing.

Prepare for winter inside your Brooklyn home

Fall means it is time for the “second spring cleaning.” It makes good sense to clean and store all things summer before you retreat to the warmth inside your Brooklyn home. Besides, the holidays are coming (and you may decide it’s time to sell after the winter thaw).

• Start with the rooms where most of the household activity happens. Focus on one room and clean it from top to bottom. Vacuum or wash curtains and window treatments. Clean window sills and window wells. Vacuum and wipe down baseboards and corners.
• Vacuum upholstered furniture, or clean it professionally. Move each piece of furniture and vacuum underneath and behind each piece. Don’t forget to vacuum underneath the couch and chair cushions!
• If you haven’t already washed the windows inside and out as mentioned above, now’s the time for that chore.
• Turn mattresses front-to-back and end-to-end to even out their wear and tear.
• Wash or clean all bedding: mattress pads, pillows, duvets, blankets, comforters.
• Make an appointment to have your carpets cleaned professionally. Do this early in September so that the remaining warm afternoons can help the carpet dry speedily. Carpet cleaners tend to get busy by the end of October.
• Clean and organize kitchen cabinets.
• Clear kitchen counters of all appliances. Store heavy appliances down low.
• Vacuum refrigerator condenser coils of dust and debris. While the refrigerator is pulled out from the wall, clean the sides of the refrigerator, the sides of the cupboards on each side of it, the wall behind it and of course, the floor and baseboards.
• Wash light fixture bowls from light fixtures and fans. Clean ceiling fans. Change the direction of your ceiling fans. In the spring and summer, your blades work best turning counter-clockwise. In the fall and winter, the blades work best turning clockwise.
• Clean and store floor fans and box fans.
• Stock up on water softener salt.
• Do you have a central vacuum? Empty the collection area.
• Clean electronic air cleaner elements. This should be done monthly for cost-effective efficiency.
• Inspect your humidifier. Clean or replace elements before it is needed.
• Inspect washer hoses for bulges, cracks, splits and a collection of “crud.” They should be replaced every other year.
• Check dryer exhaust tube and vent for lint build-up and debris to eliminate a fire hazard in your home. Does the exterior vent door close tightly when the dryer isn’t being used?
• Schedule furnace inspections now. Schedule an annual checkup for your furnace in the fall, September 22 – December 21. Don’t wait for frigid temperatures to arrive!
• Buy six furnace filters and change them monthly for maximum efficiency, savings and comfort.
• Drain the sediment from your hot water heater.

Prepare for winter or the sale of your Brooklyn home now. Contact Charles D’Alessandro, your Brooklyn real estate agent with Fillmore Real Estate at (718) 253-9700 ext. 206 or email [email protected] for a FREE consultation on how to get your home ready for what’s coming.

 

December 2014 weather predictions: temperature 37 degrees (2 degrees below avg.); precipitation 6” (3” above avg.); Dec 1-2: Heavy rain, then sunny, mild; Dec 3-5: Heavy rain, then sunny, mild; Dec 6-13: Rain to snow, then flurries, cold; Dec 14-17: Heavy rain, then flurries, cold; Dec 13-21: Stormy, rain and snow, then sunny, cold; Dec 22-29: Rain and snow, then sunny, cold; Dec 30-31: Snowy, cold.

The end of November is approaching, and the temperature has been dropping. Winter is coming, and it is going to be cold! The 2014-2015 Farmers’ Almanac predicts that winter in Brooklyn “will be colder and slightly wetter than normal, with above-normal snowfall. The coldest periods will be in late December and early and mid-January. The snowiest periods will be in mid- and late December, mid-January, and early to mid-February.”

Has this thought crossed your mind, “Do I want to go through this again?” Do these predictions of oncoming snow and cold encourage you to fly south to a warmer location? Are you considering purchasing a second home to avoid winter in Brooklyn?

Whether or not you choose to migrate south with other snowbirds to avoid spending another winter in Brooklyn, there are a few home maintenance tasks to check off your to-do list to winterize your home. Write these tasks down and get to work before it’s too cold:

1. Make sure weather stripping on your doors is in place.
2. Caulk windows.
3. Switch your blades to run clockwise to push warmer air down.
4. Invest in a programmable thermostat.
5. Replace the batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors even if they’re not beeping.
6. Clean out gutters and downspouts.
7. Winterize your air conditioner.
8. Replace or clean furnace filters.
9. Insulate exposed water pipes and give the water heater an insulated jacket.

Now your home is ready for winter in Brooklyn.

Snowbirds usually take flight to spend the winter in warmer locales such as California, Arizona, Florida, Texas, the Carolinas or elsewhere along the Sun Belt.

Snowbird? What’s a snowbird? Wikipedia defines snowbirds as “typically retirees who wish to avoid the snow and cold temperatures of northern winter, but maintain ties with family and friends by staying there the rest of the year.

“A significant portion of the snowbird community is made up of recreational vehicle users (RVers). Many own a motorhome for the sole purpose of traveling south in the winter. Many RV parks label themselves “snowbird friendly.”

No matter where you choose to fly south for the winter, you’ll want to think about the weather there before choosing.

1. Are the daily highs averaging between 63 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit for seven or more months of the year?
2. Is there less than 60 inches of rain a year?
3. Does the sun shine for at least 60 percent of the time on a yearly average?

The top ten states with the best weather year round are:

1. California
2. Hawaii
3. Texas
4. Arizona
5. Florida
6. Georgia
7. South Carolina
8. Delaware
9. North Carolina
10. Louisiana

Runner-up states to consider spending the winter in Brooklyn are:

• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• Tennessee
• West Virginia

In addition to weather, consider the tax environment of each locale listed above. Florida, for example, has no income tax. Most of the lowest per-capita tax states are in the South, partly because of the lower income in regions of the South.

Another point to consider is that when you retire, your income usually falls. This could make saving on heating costs extremely important. Look into the answer to this question, “Will what I save on heating be spent on the cost of air conditioning in this locale?” The answer could be the deciding factor on where you will stay while it’s winter in Brooklyn.

If you are dreading spending another winter in Brooklyn and are considering selling in order to relocate or have questions about purchasing a second home in a warmer locale, contact me,  Charles D’Alessandro Your Brooklyn real estate agent with Fillmore Real Estate, or call (718) 253-9600 ext. 206 for answers. I am knowledgeable and easy to talk with. Your real estate needs are top priority with me. I can also be reached by email at [email protected].