The results are in! With regards to HomeAdvisor’s Home Report Card Quiz, I scored a “not-too-shabby” grade of “B” (Great! according to HomeAdvisor’s standards….oh, and to take their mini-test yourself, check out Part 1 of this readying for fall series).
This quiz also highlighted the fact that it’s that time of year to start writing down some necessary items on my “honey-do” list (and my “I-gotta-do” list, too!), as well as planning for those fall home improvement jobs we should probably leave to the professionals.
Large tree trimming, HVAC checking and foundation evaluating are a bit out of my skill set (and, I’m guessing a tad outside of yours?), so I’ll definitely find someone who can do these tasks in a proper and safe manner.
After participating in this fall’s HomeAdvisor Blogger Ambassador program, I discovered that it really does pay to keep up with our home’s needs and infrastructure. As for our household, I’ve been wanting to purchase and have installed the new Nest Thermostat.
It’s an up-to-date home goods gadget that “learns” your desired temperature settings throughout the day (and even as the seasons change), can be remotely controlled via Wi-Fi (smartphone, tablet, or laptop), and has other automated features to save on energy and cost. Oh, yeah, and it also looks cool.
Take a peek below or see how it works in this previous “Smart Thermostat” video post:
Nest Thermostat…it even looks cool. source: amazon.com
Though Nest suggests we can install it ourselves, I think we’ll have a thermostat contractor come out to do it. Additionally, we’ll ask him or her to check our entire HVAC system to be sure it’s working properly for when the cooler weather arrives.
Note: after our landlord installed a new wall heater last year, it made all kinds of weird sounds that left me just a smidge uncomfortable. We’ll have it checked for peace of mind.
If you really think about it, readying our homes for fall is actually prepping them for winter. So, be sure to make your own “honey-do” list for the temperamental temperatures and weather conditions to come.
