How To Winterize Your Investment Properties

Even if you took advantage of the slower market times to buy a hot property for less, it’s still likely not possible to sell it until the snow is off of the ground and the busy spring real estate season starts up.

If you can’t get any work done on your properties in the meantime, it’s best to learn how to winterize them to have them stay as solid as possible in those cold, vacant months. See below for some great tips on how to winterize your properties.

Make sure all alarms and smoke detectors are functioning properly. With the dry air, even a fire made near your property can spread quickly causing harm. By making sure all smoke detectors are in place and functioning, you can quicken response time, and possibly save irreparable harm. An alarm system to protect from those who may break in looking for valuables is also a good idea, especially if you are storing construction materials over the winter on the property. A hard money lender can offer a short-term financing option to help cover the costs of installing alarms in all of your properties with a bridge loan you can repay once the properties sell in the spring.

If you have clogged gutters, clean them out while the weather is still good. Cleaning the fall leaves and other gunk from your gutters will allow them to run correctly, and move water away from your property, and not into it. This could save you thousands in water damage repairs by just keeping something that’s already installed clear and functioning well. This will also give more curb appeal in case you have an interested buyer during the winter months.

Be sure to trim away large branches or trees that could cause harm during a heavy snow. now and wind during heavy snow can cause limbs to become very heavy, which can affect anything from your roof to your power supply. By trimming ay branches located near the property or power lines, you can prevent these types of accidents from happening, and prevent costly roof repairs before they needed.

Hire a professional to winterize the pipes. When a pipe becomes frozen in the winter months, it can cause very expensive damage to the property without you even knowing it. Running or sitting water like in a hot tub system or a water heater can cause your pipes to freeze and crack, leaking water damage throughout the property. A professional plumber can help by draining all running water or sitting water from the property; therefore the pipes are dry and protected from the freezing temperatures.

Close up all openings. To keep unwanted guests or critters from getting into the property, be sure to secure all openings. This includes doors and windows, of course, but all chimneys or dryer vents where smaller animals may go trying to escape the cold.