It's clear that the cooler temperatures are here to stay, indicating that we are on the cusp of Winter. If you own a vacation home at Lake of the Ozarks that means it's time to start thinking about winterizing your home. In this week's blog, we will feature a few considerations to keep in mind when preparing to winterize your property.
If you don't have a second home at Lake of the Ozarks now is a wonderful time to buy. The housing market is solid, the mortgage rates are stellar, and Team Lasson is just a call or click away!
An Occupied Look
This is a very effective way to deter trespassers and potential criminals from your property. You can ensure that your home appears to be lived in year-round by keeping motion sensor lights running, setting timed lights at varying times throughout the day and evening, as well as keeping the exterior clear of snow. Everything but the snow clearance can be done completely remotely using modern technology, and local businesses would be more than happy to service your home while you're away for a small fee.
Home Security
Lake of the Ozarks is a generally safe area to live, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't take some extra precautions to secure your home during long absences. While the occupied look is effective for deterring any potential criminal actions against your home, ensuring you have securely locked any entrances to the home and set alarm systems provides that added layer of protection should the occupied look fail. Before heading out for the season, double-check all entryways, doors, windows, and chimneys, ensuring they're tightly secure from entry or will notify you of suspicious activity. If you are leaving any sort of valuables in the home during the offseason, be sure that they are unable to been seen from the outside.
Protecting Your Pipes
This is critical during the Winter season here at Lake of the Ozarks. When pipes freeze, they expand and can burst, potentially causing some serious damages to your vacation home. Turning the water off and draining the water from pipes is hands down the best way to minimize the risk of freezing pipes. To drain your pipes, you can flush toilets and open faucets after the water is off. Another added precaution is to pour antifreeze into toilet bowls and tanks to further reduce the chances of freezing. If you aren't comfortable doing this yourself or have questions contacting a local plumber can ensure that this step is 100% complete.
Routine Maintenance
Routine maintenance prior to leaving for the season helps ensure that your vacation home is good to go upon your return. A few key maintenance items to take care of before leaving include service to your heating system and filling fuel tanks, if needed. If you're leaving the electricity on for the security measures listed above, consider hiring an electrician to inspect the outlets, wiring, and electrical panel to ensure all are functioning properly. Inspection of your home's roof to make sure it's clear of any debris or materials that could cause ice to build up, damaging the roofing system. And while the roof is being inspected, verify any risky overhanging limbs from trees that could be potentially damaging to your property should it fall. If so, having them removed should be a priority to reduce the risk of coming home to unexpected tree damage. Lastly, unplug all unnecessary appliances before you leave, this eliminates any potential electrical issues related to the appliances having a power surge while unattended.
Owning a vacation home at Lake of the Ozarks is an absolute joy and we hope that you have found our winterization tips beneficial for helping to protect your home during the Winter season. If you don't have a second home at Lake of the Ozarks, Team Lasson would be proud to assist you in financing it. To learn more about how we can help make your dreams of homeownership at the Lake come true give us a call at (573) 746-7211 or visit our website below.
4655 B Osage Beach Parkway
**The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent First State Bank of St Charles’s positions, strategies, or opinions.
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