A H O M E O W N E R ' S W A L K - T H R O U G H The 15-Minute House Checkup Small things stay small when somebody notices them. You see your house every single day — which is exactly why it gets easy to stop seeing it. Set a timer, walk your home inside and out, and look at it the way someone visiting for the first time would. 7 MIN OUTSIDE · 8 MIN INSIDE · NOTHING TO BUY

B E F O R E Y O U S T A R T How this works This isn't an inspection and it isn't a to-do list. It's fifteen minutes of paying attention — the same lap I walk before I ever put a sign in a yard. Grab a pen. Walk one lap outside, then one lap inside. You're looking for what has changed — not for perfection. Every house has a list. The point is knowing what's on yours. M A R K E V E R Y S E C T I O N O N E O F F O U R W A Y S ✓ G O O D Nothing needed. Move on. ○ W A T C H Fine for now — look again next season. ! F I X Add it to the list before it grows. ? A S K M E Not sure if it matters? Send me a photo. W H A T Y O U N E E D Fifteen minutes and the timer on your phone This checklist and something to write with Shoes you don't mind getting a little wet Your camera — photograph anything you're unsure about O N E H O N E S T N O T E Nothing here means something is wrong with your house. Most of it will come back clean, and that's a good outcome. The point is that you looked — so the two or three things worth watching never quietly become the expensive kind. T H E 1 5 - M I N U T E H O U S E C H E C K U P 2

P A R T O N E · 7 M I N U T E S Start outside Set a timer and walk one full lap around your house. Start at the driveway. 01 L O O K U P : R O O F + G U T T E R S Stand back far enough to see the whole roofline — the driveway usually works. Gutters look secure and aren't sagging or pulling away No leaves or debris packed in or spilling over Downspouts are connected, upright and clear No obviously missing, lifted or curling shingles No dark staining on the siding below the gutter line L O O K C L O S E R I F You see staining on the siding, water pooling near the foundation, or a gutter that spills over its front edge in a normal rain. YOUR RATING ✓ GOOD ○ WATCH ! FIX ? ASK ME 02 F O L L O W T H E W A T E R Water should be moving away from your house — never toward it. Downspouts discharge well away from the foundation The ground slopes away from the house, not back into it No standing water or soggy ground along the foundation No unusually damp or mossy areas against the exterior Window wells are clear of leaves, debris and water T W O - M I N U T E T E S T Next time it rains, step outside and watch. Where the water actually goes tells you more in two minutes than a dry-day look tells you in twenty. YOUR RATING ✓ GOOD ○ WATCH ! FIX ? ASK ME S T A R T O U T S I D E 3

S T A R T O U T S I D E · C O N T I N U E D 03 C H E C K W I N D O W S + D O O R S Look around the edges — not at the glass. Caulk isn't cracked, missing or pulling away Trim doesn't look soft, swollen or rotted No daylight or obvious gaps around frames Paint isn't peeling, bubbling or flaking Screens and weatherstripping are intact T H E C H E A P E S T T H I N G O N T H I S P A G E A tube of caulk and twenty minutes is one of the best returns in homeownership. That same gap, left three winters, becomes rotted trim — and rotted trim becomes a carpenter. YOUR RATING ✓ GOOD ○ WATCH ! FIX ? ASK ME 04 W A L K T H E D E C K , P O R C H + S T E P S Don't just look at it. Give things a push. Railings feel solid when you lean on them Steps don't flex, bounce or feel spongy Boards aren't soft, cracked or splintering No rot at posts or where wood meets the house Walkways are free of trip hazards and heaving P A Y A T T E N T I O N T O Wood that gives under pressure, stays damp after everything else has dried, or sounds hollow when tapped. Rot works from the inside out — the surface is the last part to look bad. YOUR RATING ✓ GOOD ○ WATCH ! FIX ? ASK ME S T A R T O U T S I D E 4

S T A R T O U T S I D E · C O N T I N U E D 05 S T E P B A C K + L O O K A T T H E W H O L E H O U S E Walk out to the curb. Turn around. Look at your home the way a stranger driving past would. What jumps out first? Check anything you notice. There are no wrong answers — first impressions are the entire point. Landscaping that's overgrown or crowding the house Paint that's faded, peeling or no longer matching Siding or trim that's damaged, loose or stained Concrete that's cracked, sunken or heaving Exterior lights or fixtures that are loose or dated That one thing you've meant to fix for months W H Y T H I S O N E M A T T E R S This is the view every buyer, every appraiser and every neighbor already has of your home. You're just catching up to it. Curb appeal isn't vanity — it's the first number people put on your house before they've seen a single room. W r i t e d o w n t h e o n e t h i n g y o u n o t i c e d f i r s t YOUR RATING ✓ GOOD ○ WATCH ! FIX ? ASK ME That's the outside done. Head in the back door — you're halfway. S T A R T O U T S I D E 5

P A R T T W O · 8 M I N U T E S Now head inside Walk every room, top to bottom. You're looking for changes — not perfection. 06 L O O K U P Ceilings tell on a house before anything else does. No new yellow or brown discoloration No water rings, old or fresh Paint isn't bubbling, blistering or peeling No cracks that look new or have grown No damp spots at skylights, vents or chimneys D O N ' T J U S T P A I N T O V E R I T A fresh coat hides a stain for one season. Finding where the water came from is the part that actually fixes it. YOUR RATING ✓ GOOD ○ WATCH ! FIX ? ASK ME 07 L O O K D O W N The surfaces we walk across every day without ever really looking at them. Flooring isn't lifting, buckling or separating at the seams No soft or spongy spots near tubs, showers, sinks or toilets Baseboards aren't swollen, stained or pulling from the wall No damp patches you can't explain Tile and grout are intact, with no loose or hollow-sounding pieces S T A R T H E R E Around the base of toilets and along the front of the dishwasher. Those two spots account for a surprising share of the floor damage I end up seeing. YOUR RATING ✓ GOOD ○ WATCH ! FIX ? ASK ME N O W H E A D I N S I D E 6

N O W H E A D I N S I D E · C O N T I N U E D 08 O P E N T H E C A B I N E T S Especially the ones under sinks. This is where quiet leaks live. No active drips at the supply lines or trap No water staining on the cabinet floor Cabinet bottom isn't warped, swollen or soft Plumbing connections are dry to the touch No musty smell when you open the door Check the kitchen, every bathroom and the laundry area — all of them. 3 0 - S E C O N D T R I C K Run your hand flat along the cabinet floor under each sink. You will almost always feel moisture before you can see it. YOUR RATING ✓ GOOD ○ WATCH ! FIX ? ASK ME 09 C H E C K Y O U R A I R + C O M F O R T Think about how the house has actually felt to live in lately. HVAC filter isn't overdue for a change Vents and returns aren't blocked by furniture or rugs Rooms are heating and cooling fairly evenly No new rattles, grinding or burning smells from the system Bathroom exhaust fans actually pull air O N E R O O M A L W A Y S T O O H O T O R T O O C O L D ? Write it down. Comfort that changes is usually the house telling you about airflow, insulation or a duct — and it's worth asking about before the next extreme season. YOUR RATING ✓ GOOD ○ WATCH ! FIX ? ASK ME N O W H E A D I N S I D E 7

N O W H E A D I N S I D E · C O N T I N U E D 10 U S E Y O U R S E N S E S Some things a house does aren't visible at all. Stand still in the quietest room and ask: D O I S E E … Anything different from last season? D O I S M E L L … Anything musty, sour or damp? D O I H E A R … Dripping, running water, a new hum? D O I F E E L … Drafts, damp air, soft spots underfoot? A house will usually tell you something is changing before it shows you exactly what. Your 60-second recap Before you set this down — while it's all still fresh. F I X · T H I N G S I W A N T T O H A N D L E S O O N 1. 2. 3. W A T C H · T H I N G S I W A N T T O C H E C K A G A I N 1. 2. A S K M E · T H I N G S I W A N T A S E C O N D O P I N I O N O N 1. 2. T H E 1 5 - M I N U T E H O U S E C H E C K U P 8

Not sure if something is worth worrying about? ? T h e f o u r t h m a r k Take a picture and send it to me. That's it — no appointment, no obligation, no sales pitch on the other end. You do not have to be thinking about selling your house to call your Realtor. I look at houses all day long — hundreds of them a year, in every condition, at every price point. Which means I usually know whether the thing you're staring at is a Saturday afternoon or a phone call, and I almost always know who to send you to. Wondering if a project is worth doing? Curious what today's buyers actually care about? Need the name of a plumber who answers the phone? That's what I'm here for — and it costs you nothing to ask. Consider me your house person. Jenn Heitmann L i c e n s e d A s s o c i a t e R e a l E s t a t e B r o k e r H o w a r d H a n n a 315-382-9397 - jennheitmann@gmail.com jenniferheitmann.howardhanna.com @jenn.heitmann.realtor This guide is a simple homeowner's visual check — not a home inspection, appraisal or professional evaluation. When something looks questionable, have it looked at by a qualified professional.