To prepare for winter, homeowners should caulk and seal all joints in the siding and around windows and doors. It’s one of many winter-readying maintenance items suggested by experts. Before winter sets in, there’s a long list of other annual chores to do.

Fall is the perfect time for a whole-house maintenance check. You can make sure the summer heat didn’t cause any damage, as you prep the house for the winter cold. Regular maintenance keeps your house safe and heads off costly emergency repairs. But weather shouldn’t be your only incentive to inspect and fix.

If an inspector finds problems in a house on the market, Kuhn said, “that means the homeowner either must renegotiate the price, spend money on repairs, or, in some cases, the buyer will walk away.” To help head off trouble, stay on top of maintenance.

Your work

·         Check your window wells and storm drains for debris or other blockages.

·         Repair any driveway cracks and/or heaved or settled walkways.

·         Trim your trees and shrubs, particularly any limbs too close to the house.

·         Check — ideally during a rainstorm — that all rainwater drains away from the foundation.

·         Clean and put away your summer furnishings.

·         In areas subject to freezing temperatures, drain and store your garden hoses.

·         Check the weather tightness of all exterior surfaces and components.

·         Caulk and seal all joints in the siding and around windows and doors.

·         Look for deterioration of painted or finished areas. If it’s too late for a full paint job, touch up bare wood surfaces with a primer and at least one finish coat.

·         Seal any foundation cracks.