This fall home checklist comes from more than twenty years as a licensed general contractor and the years since as a Realtor. Every October I walk my own house in Southborough with it, because a New England winter finds every weak seam, and the repairs that wait until spring cost more than the ones you do now.
Each item also notes why it matters when you sell, since the things a buyer’s inspector writes up in March are the same things you can take care of now for a fraction of the cost.
Download the fall home checklist (PDF)
The fall home checklist
- Gutters and downspouts. Clear them after leaf drop and run downspouts at least four feet from the foundation. Most wet basements in this area start at the roofline, and a wet basement is the finding that costs sellers the most.
- Roof and flashing. From the ground with binoculars: lifted shingles, exposed nail heads, flashing at the chimney and skylights. Ice dams form where flashing and attic insulation fail. A buyer’s inspector goes to the roof first.
- Heating system service. Annual tune-up, new filter, thermostat test. Oil heat: check the tank legs and fittings for rust or weeping. A dated service record is a selling point; a January failure is not.
- Chimney and fireplace. Sweep and inspect if you burn. Check the cap and the crown for cracks, which let water into the masonry all winter.
- Exterior caulk and paint. Seal gaps at windows, doors, and trim joints, and touch up peeling paint before the first freeze. Water in end grain rots trim over one winter, and peeling paint gets flagged on appraisals.
- Outside faucets and irrigation. Shut the interior valves, drain the hose bibs, blow out the irrigation. A split pipe inside a wall is a spring surprise nobody wants.
- Grading, window wells, and the bulkhead. Soil should slope away from the house, and window wells should be clear and covered. Then check the bulkhead where it meets the foundation. That seam is one of the most common leak points in this area, and the fix is cheap: a bead of exterior silicone along the outside joint and spray foam along the inside seam.
- Basement and sump. Test the sump pump, look for white mineral staining or damp walls, and set the dehumidifier around 50 percent. Moisture and mold are inspection findings that change negotiations.
- Smoke and CO detectors. Fresh batteries, and replace any unit past ten years old. Massachusetts requires a fire department smoke and CO inspection at sale, and the date on the alarm is what they check.
- Deck and porch. Look at the ledger connection to the house, railing stability, and rot at post bases. Decks are one of the most common structural write-ups in an inspection.
- Trees. Dead limbs over the roof, driveway, or service line come down now, with an arborist, before winter storms make the decision for you.
- Keep the receipts. A folder of service records and permits is worth real money at sale. Buyers pay for a house that’s been looked after, and the paperwork proves it.
Download the fall home checklist (PDF)
Ask the builder
If something on the fall home checklist raises a question about your house, a project you’re weighing, or a repair estimate that doesn’t sit right, send it over. You’ll get a straight answer from someone who has done the work, and if it’s something a specialist should look at, I’ll tell you that too. No obligation. If you’d rather have me look at the house in person, start with the Home Integrity Check.
Questions I get every fall
When should I have my heating system serviced in Massachusetts?
Before the first cold night, which in MetroWest usually means September or early October. Book the annual service now, replace the filter, and if you heat with oil, have the technician look at the tank while they’re there. Change filters every one to three months through the heating season.
Do I need a smoke and carbon monoxide inspection to sell my house in Massachusetts?
Yes. Massachusetts requires an inspection by the local fire department before a home changes hands, and the inspector works from the year the house was built and the date of the last building permit to decide what’s required. Alarms with no date on them are considered expired, and replacing anything past ten years old now means one less item on the closing checklist later. The state’s guide to preparing your home for the smoke and CO alarm inspection walks through it, and your fire department or your agent can confirm the current rules for your house. I walk through the whole process in Wellesley Smoke Inspection and CO Certificate: What Sellers Need to Know Before Closing.
Why does my bulkhead leak, and how do I fix it?
Almost always at the seam where the bulkhead frame meets the foundation. Run a bead of exterior-grade silicone along the outside joint and seal the inside seam with spray foam. If water still shows up after a hard rain, look uphill: a downspout emptying next to the bulkhead or soil sloping toward the house is usually the real cause.
Which items on a fall home checklist matter most if I’m selling in the spring?
Water first: gutters, grading, the basement, and the roof. Then anything with a service record, like the heating system, and anything structural a buyer’s inspector will photograph, like the deck. Buyers pay for a house that has been looked after, and an inspection report with nothing on it is worth more than most upgrades. I go deeper on the sale side in How to Prepare Your Home for Sale in Massachusetts This Fall.
Thinking about a move?
If the checklist has you looking at your house a little differently, two places to start:
- What is my home worth? Start with an instant estimate, and I’ll follow up with a range grounded in recent sales and what buyers are paying right now.
- Living in Southborough, and the surrounding towns of Hopkinton, Westborough, Northborough, Ashland, and Framingham, where I work every week.
About Paul
Paul Neavyn is a Global Real Estate Advisor with Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty and a 15-year Southborough resident. Before real estate, he spent more than 20 years as a licensed general contractor renovating homes across Boston and MetroWest, so his clients get a builder’s read on every property: what’s solid, what needs work, and what it will cost. He serves buyers and sellers in Southborough and the surrounding towns, ranks in the top 1.5% of agents nationally according to RealTrends, and coaches youth basketball in town. He updates this fall home checklist every October.
Cell: 617.721.8384
Email: [email protected]
Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty, Wellesley, MA
