No matter where we live, seasonal changes in temperature and moisture levels require maintenance. Check out these fall maintenance tasks to help maintain your house in good condition.

• Change the batteries in your smoke detector. Fire experts suggest changing the batteries twice a year. An easy way to remember- change your batteries at the beginning and end of daylight saving Time.
• Drain a gallon or two of water from your water heater to extend its life expectancy.
• Clear your roof gutters of leaves and other debris.
• Trim shrubs and trees so that they clear the foundation, exterior walls, and roof of the house. Shrubbery that’s too close to the house can promote the growth of mildew, mold and algae, particularly during warmer weather. Root growth can damage foundations. Limbs can scrape paint on siding and trim.
• Inspect the exterior walls and foundation for evidence of damage, cracking or movement. Watch for bird nests or other vermin or insect activity.
• Clean windows and test their operation. Improve caulking and weather stripping as necessary. Watch for evidence of rot in wood window frames. Paint and repair windowsills and frames as necessary.
• Test the overhead garage door opener to ensure that the auto-reverse mechanism is responding property. Clean and lubricate hinges, rollers and tracks on overhead doors.
• Replace or clean exhaust hood filters.

Now is also a good time to change that air filter in your furnace. Did you know you should change them every few months? I recently had an inspection done for a buyer of mine and the seller had not changed the filter for 2 years! You can imagine what that looked like. Would you like to be breathing that air? Especially when were inside so much in the coming months. So breath clean and fresh and change those filters!