The Home Inspector’s Spring Home Maintenance Checklist

When the weather is this gorgeous outside it’s hard not to procrastinate the tedious chores on your spring home maintenance checklist in favor of porch sitting, or a nice walk in the park. Alas, your friendly home inspector is back again to remind you that when you put off these tasks for too long it tends to get ugly. Ugly like the dust and mold situation in the image above. My allergies have allergies just looking at that photo. You have to work hard to accumulate dust like that.

Now that I’ve ruined your lovely spring day by making you feel all itchy, let’s get in there and do some work! Here are four important tasks every homeowner should have on their spring home maintenance checklist:

✔️ Have AC Checked

You should have your AC serviced at least once a year, and the best time is in the spring prior to turning it back on again for the summer. Many home warranty companies cover this, so if you have a home warranty policy, make sure you take advantage of that. Also, remember to change your air filters every 2-3 months depending on the size of your home and whether you have pets. (Can you imagine what the air filters look like on the house in that first picture?)

✔️ Sprinkler System Maintenance

I can’t stop watching this video. I want them to build a Rube Goldberg machine. Anyway, every spring, you should go through a routine check of each sprinkler head, to make sure it hasn’t been damaged or turned the wrong way, (or strategically placed under a downspout). Check the lines for leaks, and look around the yard after running the system for any signs of pooling or mud where there isn’t a head. This might indicate that you have damage underground from a frozen pipe.

✔️ Clean Out Rain Gutters

How often should you clean out your rain gutters? More often than it takes for a plant to take root and blossom, that’s for sure. Homeowners should have this on both their fall and spring home maintenance lists. Or all four seasons if you have a lot of foliage. Or never if you have a good gutter screen or cover that works. Even if you have gutter covers, you’re probably still getting a decent amount of pile up on your roof and atop the gutter area, so you should still take a look up there twice a year to clear it of debris, and to ensure the covers are intact and working.

✔️ Replace Rotted Wood

If you’ve got wood around your house that looks like this, what you’ve really got is a sign that reads, “Welcome, Termites! Food and lodging here!” Also, other insects can gain entry to your home. Also, moisture and air can come and go more freely, so not as efficient as we’d like, either. Not to mention, I don’t think “wood rot” is going to be on anyone’s Top 10 home design trends for 2023. When you go beyond “rustic” into “condemned” you’ve gone too far.

So put down that cool beverage, and get cracking. Those filters aren’t going to change themselves. We can hear your home value ticking downward from here! You can find a few more great spring home maintenance tips here and here.