June Home Maintenance Tips for your East Texas Home

June Home Maintenance Tips for your East Texas Home

June Home Maintenance Tips for your East Texas Home

Welcome, summer! It’s been a strange season of floods and it seems like it is going to continue for a while, but you know at some point this summer we will likely be praying for rain again. Before the complaints of drought and triple-digit heat begin, make sure your house is ready for summer and it emerges from the storms unscathed with these June home maintenance tips:

1. NO MORE MR. NICE BUG—All this rain makes for freakishly quick growing grass, and with tall grass comes critters setting up a homestead. Keep your yard mowed to prevent flea and tick infestations.       Once they are in the yard, it is only a matter of time before they invade the house and they are even harder to get rid of once they are inside.
2. CLEAN IT OUT—This is a great time to clean out the refrigerator and the pantry! (If I say it with exclamation points, it makes it less of a chore, right?!) There’s no reason to store that mayonnaise that expired in 2009—you’re never going to (and definitely shouldn’t!) use it. Cleaning out the expired food in your pantry won’t take long. You can get all of it done in less time than it would take to watch a 30 minute TV show.
3. GRILL READY—This is an easy one! Be ready to BBQ on a moment’s notice by checking the propane tank levels and cleaning the interior and exterior of the grill.   There’s nothing worse than having steaks marinated and ready to grill, only to find out you’re out of propane.
4. WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE—This is very important in light of all the recent flooding we have had. Take a quick walk around your property looking for any previously unseen damage. Be sure to pay attention to any potential drainage issues. If you have drainage issues, you have likely noticed them in the past few weeks.       If you have standing water or mushy spots, consider installing a French drain or filling in low spots.       Most importantly, make sure water does not pool near the foundation and that guttering funnels the runoff at least 5 feet away from the foundation. Also, check your gutters for damage and repair any problem areas. If your gutters are rotted out or dumping water right by the foundation, they are probably doing more harm than good. Drainage maintenance isn’t glamorous, but water damage can be epic in a very expensive way, so it is best to take care of it before it becomes a big problem.
5. KID SAFE YARD—Once the sun comes out, everyone will be ready for some outdoor fun, but is your backyard ready? Loose nails, screws and splinters can put a serious damper on backyard fun. Inspect any outside play equipment (swing sets, trampolines, pools, etc.) and backyard furniture for dangers. Tighten bolts, check for rotted parts and fix any other unsafe problems before they end a day in tears.
6. ATTIC CRAWL—No, it’s not as fun as a pub-crawl, no matter how many exclamation points I use. Many roofs have been springing leaks with the unending rain lately.       If you can it safely and are comfortable doing it, go into the attic and check for any roof leaks.       If you are not comfortable, call your favorite handyman to give it a quick look. Leaks caught early are no big deal, but ongoing water damage can be very expensive later.

This has been a weird weather season. This much rain brings its own set of challenges for your home and property and you don’t want long-term damage from a short-term rain deluge. You know what they say—when it rains, it pours—and when it pours, you want to make sure your house is ready.
Lisa E. Priest is using her umbrella way too often and is a Palestine, Texas REALTOR® with Picket Fence Realty, Inc. You can reach her via phone or text at 903-948-3343 or read more at BuyPalestine.com.