Tips for Winterizing Your Vacation Home

The time has come again, and as quickly as Summer showed up, it moved on and made way for Fall. The Autumn season has many beautiful things to offer, between fun events, cooler temperatures, and those gorgeous changing leaves. However, it can also provide the opportunity to accomplish a few tasks on your to-do list with your vacation home. Here are a few things you need to remember as the months begin to loom, and how you can protect your vacation home at the Lake of the Ozarks during the off-season.

Wrap Your Pipes

Wrapping pipes under the sink and in a basement, as well as anywhere else around your home can be a huge help. Look for wraps that are made from fiberglass, foam and foil, foam, or rubber to provide proper insulation to your pipes over the Winter. This can conserve energy and save money, but can also protect against any freezing temperatures that we may experience this Winter.

Unplug Appliances

Now is a great time to clean, protect, and shut off the appliances in your vacation home. This will include fridges, washers, dryers, dishwashers, and ACs. If you are not sure how to Winterize your air conditioner, you can either do some research online or hire a company to take care of it for you.

Turn Off the Water

If you want to prevent water leaks and indoor flooding this Winter, you will want to turn off the water at the mainline. This is an important step and one you will not want to forget. It is not hard to turn it back on if you decide to come back to your vacation home during the Winter months.

Drain the Pipes

This is incredibly important when you will not be in your home for a season. You may even want to hire a professional to come to drain your hot water heater, to clear the pipes of water, and to shut off propane or natural gas.

Clean the Gutters

After the leaves have fallen, it is a great time to clean out the gutters and downspouts. You can install downspout guards, screens, snap-in gutter screens, and mesh gutter guards to help prevent water damage from ice dams and puddles on the roof, and around your foundation.

Winterize Outside, Too!

Do not forget to drain all outside hoses, disconnect them, roll them up and store them. Cover all outdoor faucets with foam or hard plastic covers as well. The foam covers keep outdoor faucets from freezing during the colder temperatures, and the hard plastic covers can provide additional protection from the weather and small curious animals.

Outdoor Appliances

You should also disconnect the outdoor appliances, like fountains, bug zappers, and even the satellite dishes. You can secure them with plastic or store them indoors to protect against the cold weather.

Outdoor Furniture

Storing your outdoor furniture, raised garden beds, plant post, grills, tools, and other outdoor items inside is also a great precaution. If you cannot bring them indoors, you can always cover them with plastic and secure them in a wind-free location.

Find An Exterminator

Finally, this is a great time to schedule an exterminator to continue pest inspections and pest control through the Winter.

Time to Make Your List
As we kick off Fall, now is the perfect time to make sure that your vacation home at the Lake is ready to withstand the upcoming months. Some predictions for the Winter are expecting cooler than normal temps, as well as more snow than we usually get. This means that your vacation property may need to be sealed up more than in the past - and you will want to make plans for any watercraft and docks that you have as well.

If you do not have a vacation home at the Lake of the Ozarks, now is the perfect time to start looking. The market has been doing some great things for home buyers, and off-season is commonly accepted as the best time to buy a home. Ready to get started? Team Lasson can help you get started on your mortgage at the Lake of the Ozarks!

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Michael Lasson

Senior Loan Officer

NMLS #: 493712

4655 B Osage Beach Parkway

Osage Beach, MO 65065

Direct: (573) 746-7211

Cell: (573) 216-7258

e-Fax: (866) 397-0318

Email: mlasson@fsbfinancial.com

Website: www.YourLakeLoan.com

**The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent First State Bank of St Charles’s positions, strategies, or opinions.