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Fall home-improvement projects for a quick sale

After the summer, we Vancouverites are reluctant to see the thermometer dropping. Although we look forward to crisp days and cool evenings, cozy blankets, and evening fires, we're probably not looking forward to the overflowing gutters, leaky windows and bursting pipes that might be right behind.

If you are considering selling your home this fall or winter you should tackle some projects to prepare your home for the frigid days to come. Your REALTOR® has oodles of ideas to share, and will agree on one point: Old Man Winter might cause some problems, but he also presents opportunities for projects to help your home sell that you might not have considered.

First, assemble a checklist of pre-winter tasks:

• Check your gutters and downspouts-you might even have to do this three or four times during the fall

• make sure outdoor water faucets are turned off and hoses removed

• check your paint and caulking all around

• inspect the weather stripping on windowsills and doors-if you see light coming in, then air can, too

• maintenance chores and repairs like these are just some of the ways to make your home winter-happy

And now for the garden:

• Trim back your roses and mound dirt over the ground union

• cut back your perennials

• prune your trees-but not too late (that can force out tender new growth that will be damaged by the cold)

If there's just one thing you do for your grounds this winter, make it watering. After this summer, you really need to put extra moisture in the ground. It wouldn't hurt to water lawns, either. Water flowering shrubs and trees after they've dropped their leaves. Plants really need it, especially with the dry summer we just had.

Ask your REALTOR® for his or her checklist to better prepare you for a showing or an open house. By following these relatively simple tips, you'll feel proud of your home and potential purchasers are sure to appreciate its beauty regardless of the season.