Tips to Winterize your Vacation Home

It’s about time the fall temperatures have shown up! Fall at Lake of the Ozarks is a beautiful season offering fun events, cool temperatures, and gorgeous scenery. However, it also means that you could have some down time to accomplish those tasks on your to-do list for winterizing 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 Lake of the Ozarks during the off-season.

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.

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.

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.

Photo Credit: Fun Lake

Time to Get Started!

Fall is in full swing, so now is the perfect time to make sure that your vacation home at the Lake is ready to withstand the upcoming months! If you do not have a vacation home at 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 Lake of the Ozarks!

LIKE my Facebook Page, Follow me on Twitter or Connect on LinkedIn

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.

 

Vacation Home Winterization Tips

 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. 

LIKE my Facebook Page, Follow me on Twitter or Connect on LinkedIn

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.

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!

For Lake area news, resources and tips on financial services, please 

LIKE my Facebook Page, Follow me on Twitter or Connect on LinkedIn

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.