by Kathryn Dunkle, Client Coordinator

As real estate professionals we, at Buyers Advantage Group Realty, are constantly working with other who provide professional services to homeowners and homebuyers. Over the years, we have developed a strong network of Preferred Partners. We are happy to recommend these partners to our valued clients, friends and family because of the commitment to quality customer service which they have consistently delivered and because we share the same belief that all homebuyers deserve professionals who will work as an unbiased educators, personal consultants and advocates through the entire buying process and beyond.

From time to time, I’d like to share with you the information, tips and trends our Preferred Partners share with us. I hope you find the information to be helpful and I encourage you to share it with whomever you know who might benefit.

The Summer Home Maintenance tips that follow are provided courtesy of our friend Patty Collins. Patty is a Senior Account Executive with Old Republic Home Protection, a home warranty plan provider. We value our relationship with Patty because she understands, as we do, that the only way to earn customer loyalty is by providing great customer service experiences by offering fast, friendly and efficient service. That keeps her clients coming back year after year!

It’s a good idea for you to regularly inspect your home and Patty shares a strategy that will help you do that this summer. Patty recommends that you:

• Inspect the roof for damaged, loose or blistered shingles. Have damaged shingles replaced if they’re on less than 20% of the roof. Re-roof if damaged shingles cover more than 20% of the roof.
• Examine flashing around chimneys, vents, and roof edges.
• Remove debris from gutters and downspouts and patch any holes. Make sure the downspouts direct water at least five feet away from your foundation.
• Examine fascia of soffit boards. Replace if they are soft or rotting because they may allow rain into your attic.
• Trim branches and shrubs that are touching your home which can provide a pathway for bugs or excess moisture to enter.
• Remove dead branches that may fall on your home. Snap!
• Clean up fallen limbs, branches and other debris around the home to discourage wood-eating insects. Termites=bad.
• Clean out basement window wells.
• Inspect/replace caulk on windows, doors, and other penetrations, such as dryer vents and cable wire holes. Inspect and repair caulking where two different materials meet, for example where wood siding joins the foundation’s wall or at inside corners.
• Touch up any exterior surfaces that need paint before they deteriorate further. Inspect bricks and concrete blocks for cracked mortar or loose joints.
• Inspect grading around the house to be sure water drains away from the foundation on all sides.
• Make sure that your lawn sprinkler heads do not spray the walls of the house. Water=bad.
• Check your inside and outside foundation walls and piers for termite tubes and damaged wood.

Information is provided courtesy of Patty Collins, Old Republic Home Protection Warranty Company. For more questions about home warranty protection, email Patty at PattyC@orhp.com.

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