Now that school has already started, our clients are beginning to look forward to the holiday season that usually begins right before Halloween and lasts until New Year’s Eve. At Abney Insurance Agency, we find that most of our clients have a lull in activity right at the beginning of October, so it is a good time to attend to a home and car maintenance checklist.
Suggested House and Car Maintenance Checklist for Autumn
Have you had your car checked out since you returned from summer vacation? If not, it’s a good idea to make sure your vehicle is prepared to make it through the fall and winter. Most of the items on our car maintenance checklist have to do with preparing our vehicles for cooler weather:
- Check the heater and defroster: Malfunctioning heaters and defrosters can cause major safety hazards during storms and freezing weather. Why not take a minute to flip your heater and defroster on to make sure that they work before you need to depend upon them?
- Check tires: We need good tires to grip the road during snow or rainstorms. Also, changes in temperature create changes in air pressure. By making certain that your tires are properly inflated and in good shape, you should enjoy a more comfortable ride, better gas mileage and safer drives.
These home-maintenance tips can help keep your house safer and more comfortable when the weather changes:
- Fireplaces: Clean your fireplace and chimney before you use it on the first chilly night of the season. Over time, flammable materials build up in chimney flues, and a stray spark could ignite them at any time. In fact, many homeowners have already had small chimney fires that they were not even aware of until they had their flues checked by a chimney sweep. Meanwhile, there is always the danger that flames could spread to vulnerable parts of the house.
- Roofs: Roof debris can grow mold and aggravate damage from hail or windstorms. If you do not care to climb up on your own roof, most professional roofing contractors offer autumn cleanings and inspections. These inspections can also save you money because they catch small problems on your roof before a severe storm turns them into a big problem. Roof damage never repairs itself.
We Want to Help Protect Your Home
At Abney Insurance Agency, we are in the business of protecting homes and cars. Hopefully, you will find our car and home maintenance tips useful. We’d also like to be useful to you by ensuring that your homeowners insurance is updated and competitively priced. As an independent agent, we can help you shop the market for the best rates from top homeowners insurance companies. Contact us as soon as possible to discuss your coverage in person or over the phone.
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