Getting Ready For Winter In Aurora

Aurora homes need special attention in winter.

Winters in  suburban Aurora, Colorado aren’t always harsh, but they always have short periods of big snow and plunging temperatures. Yes, we still have over 300 days of sunshine every year and the snow usually melts off quickly, but winterizing a home is still a good idea. Are you considering relocation to Aurora Colorado? Or maybe you already live here and this might be your first winter in Aurora. As a Colorado native,  I take for granted the preparation and work needed for a home to prepare for our winter months. But, part of what I do as an Aurora Realtor is to help my clients get ready for our sometime cold weather.

Winter Home Shopping In Aurora

Let’s back up a minute and I’ll mention a few things you may experience with the home search process during the Holiday and winter months.
• Inventory of homes for sale will likely be less
• You may be looking in sunny weather or you may be traipsing  through a foot of snow
• You can leave in the morning with sunny weather and have a blizzard in the afternoon or vise versa
• Snow on the ground in the morning could melt off to dry ground in the afternoon
• Serious sellers and serious buyers are the norm in the winter months
• Temperatures can be 50 degrees or 0 degrees. When the sun shines 30 degrees can feel like 50 degrees.
• Winter in Aurora and the Denver area is actually very nice only with a few bad days mixed in.

Although you may be on the lookout for a new home to purchase or you’re just beginning to consider Denver and Aurora for a future move, probably the biggest adjustment to owning a home is the preparation and care during winter. Of course if you’re coming from a location of cold, snow and ice you may well be familiar with winterizing a home.

Aurora Realtor Tips for Winterization

Here is a list of the major items to consider and plan on taking care of prior to winter and freezing temperatures.

1. Disconnect all hoses from the house! If hoses are left on the hose bib, it can’t drain and it’ll freeze the pipe with the potential of flood when temperatures rise.
2. Shut down and  blow out your sprinkler system with an air compressor (Plenty of services will do this for about $60)
3. Cover air conditioning units or swamp coolers units
4. Drain and disconnect the lines to your swamp cooler (if you have one)
5. Mow the lawn and rake the leaves. Apply winter fertilizer on the lawn
6. Clean out gutters
7. Double check your furnace or heating system for operation and get a tune up if necessary. Definitely change the furnace filter.
8. Put your tip outs down on your downspouts. Keep the water away from foundations
9. Double check carbon monoxide detectors. The windows aren’t open during the winter. So, this is even more important. Might as well check the smoke detectors at the same time.
10. Check the sump pump for operation
11. Seal cracks in concrete so moisture doesn’t get in, freeze and allow it to crack more
12. Fill any gaps or holes in insulation, windows, doors
13. Check for any water lines running along exterior walls. Insulate these to make sure they don’t freeze
14. Clean your chimney if you have a wood burning fireplace.
15. Get a shovel

Ongoing Winter Maintenance

And here are a few tips for winter:

Aurora winters even slow down the building of new homes in area such as Wheatlands

1. Shovel the snow off your drive and walks as soon as possible. Your concrete will thank you. The freeze thaw cycle will damage your concrete over time. Not to mention you can walk and drive on it easier.
2. Try not to use salt. Salt will damage the concrete surface over time and it’ll look terrible.
3. Change your furnace filter at least every couple months or even every 30 days to keep it working and breathing clean air!
4. If there is a severe cold snap, you might open the cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls so the heat can keep the water pipes warm. If you have an older house, you might even let the sink drip a little to keep the water moving in the lines.
5. Have boots, hats, gloves, and blankets on hand in case the power goes out or if you just want to stay warm!

And most of all, enjoy winter in Aurora. It’s a major reason we live in Colorado!