Fall projects for your investment home.

Fall is an extraordinary time of year - the grass slows growing, open the windows for fresh air, kids are back in school, and the colors are breathtaking.

This is also a great time of year to check in on your investments properties. No excuse should have to be made to your tenants as to why you are checking in, but you can tell them that you need to do an inspection - then you can see how they are treating your investment as well. 

There are some other items that are worth doing as preventative maintenance to avoid potential emergencies in the future.

1. Turn on the furnace. Make sure the tenant is aware of how it works and what to look for if it isn't. Change the furnace filter and leave a few more for the tenant to change every 30 days.

2. Turn off the outside spigots and drain the water out. Remove them if your tenant just can't resist using them.

3. Double-check door locks and make sure the garage doors are in working order. Not necessarily a fall maintenance item but these take much abuse and you certainly don't want to be repairing them in the winter months.

4. Pour drain opener down the drains - This is an excellent preventative process.

5. Change the batteries in the smoke and carbon monoxide protectors. Tenants tend to take these down if there is constant beeping from them or they are terrible cooks and burn dinners often.

6. If you are responsible for shoveling or applying salt, make sure both are ready to go. 

While some of these items may not be necessary for every property you own, getting into your investment properties may help you head off maintenance calls in the future.

~Chris Fritch Team eXp Realy 763-746-3997~