The Snowbird's Checklist: Preparing Your Southeast Michigan Home for Winter

Leaving your Southeast Michigan home for the winter is a process that rewards careful preparation. The homeowners who return to find everything exactly as they left it are almost always the ones who took the time to work through a thorough pre-departure checklist — and who arranged for professional oversight while they were away. This checklist covers the essential categories. Work through it in the weeks before your departure, not the night before you leave. ## Heating System Your heating system is the most critical safeguard against winter damage. Before you leave: - **Schedule a furnace inspection.** Have a qualified HVAC technician service your furnace before the heating season begins. Replace the filter, verify the heat exchanger is intact, and confirm all safety controls are functioning. - **Set the thermostat to a minimum of 55°F.** This is the widely accepted minimum for preventing pipe freezing, but 60°F provides a more comfortable safety margin in older homes or those with exterior plumbing runs. - **Replace thermostat batteries.** A dead thermostat battery is one of the most common and easily preventable causes of winter home damage. Replace them before you leave, regardless of how recently you last changed them. - **Test the thermostat.** Manually trigger a heating cycle and confirm the furnace responds correctly. - **Consider a smart thermostat with remote monitoring.** These allow you to check and adjust your home's temperature from anywhere and receive alerts if the temperature drops unexpectedly. - **Verify the furnace has an adequate fuel supply.** If you heat with oil or propane, confirm your tank is full and arrange for automatic delivery while you're away. ## Plumbing Frozen pipes are the most expensive single event that can happen to a vacant home. Take these steps before departure: - **Know where your main water shutoff is.** If a pipe does freeze and burst, your home watch professional needs to be able to shut off the water immediately. Make sure the location is documented and accessible. - **Consider shutting off the water supply entirely.** For homeowners who are away for extended periods, turning off the main supply and draining the pipes eliminates the risk of burst pipes entirely. Consult a plumber about whether this is appropriate for your home. - **Insulate exposed pipes.** Any pipes in unheated spaces — garages, crawl spaces, utility rooms — should be wrapped with pipe insulation or heat tape before you leave. - **Disconnect and drain exterior hose bibs.** Shut off the interior valve supplying each exterior hose bib, then open the bib to drain any remaining water. - **Check the water heater.** If you're shutting off the water supply, turn the water heater to its vacation or pilot setting. If you're leaving the water on, verify the water heater is functioning normally and check for any signs of corrosion or leaking at the connections. - **Run water in infrequently used fixtures.** Traps in floor drains, guest bathrooms, and other rarely used fixtures can dry out over a long absence, allowing sewer gases to enter the home. Pour a cup of mineral oil (not water, which will evaporate) into each drain before you leave. ## Electrical - **Unplug non-essential appliances.** Televisions, computers, small kitchen appliances, and other electronics draw standby power and represent unnecessary fire risk when no one is home. - **Check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.** Test each one and replace batteries. Carbon monoxide detectors are especially important in a home where a furnace will be running unattended for months. - **Consider a whole-home surge protector.** Winter storms can cause power fluctuations that damage electronics and appliances. A surge protector at the main panel protects everything in the home. - **Leave some interior lights on a timer.** A home that shows no sign of activity for months is a visible target. Timers on a few interior lights create the appearance of occupancy. - **Notify your alarm monitoring company.** Update your emergency contact information and make sure your home watch professional is listed as an authorized contact. ## Security - **Secure all entry points.** Check every door and window — including basement windows, garage doors, and any secondary entries — to confirm they lock securely. - **Don't announce your departure on social media.** It's tempting to post about your upcoming trip, but publicly announcing that your home will be vacant is an unnecessary risk. - **Arrange for mail and package management.** A full mailbox or accumulating packages are reliable indicators of vacancy. Have your mail held at the post office or forwarded, and suspend any regular deliveries. - **Notify trusted neighbors.** Let one or two neighbors know you'll be away and ask them to contact your home watch professional if they notice anything unusual. - **Provide your home watch professional with emergency access.** Make sure they have a key, your alarm code, and clear instructions for how to reach you and your emergency contacts. ## Exterior and Grounds - **Clean gutters and downspouts.** Fall leaves clog gutters and create ice dam conditions. Clean them thoroughly before the first freeze. - **Trim overhanging branches.** Heavy snow and ice can bring down branches onto your roof, siding, or vehicles. Have any concerning branches trimmed before you leave. - **Drain and store garden hoses.** Hoses left connected to exterior bibs can trap water that freezes and damages the bib. - **Winterize irrigation systems.** Have your irrigation system professionally blown out before the first freeze. - **Arrange for snow removal.** A driveway that's never plowed is another visible indicator of vacancy. Arrange for a reliable snow removal service and make sure your home watch professional has their contact information. - **Secure outdoor furniture and decorations.** Michigan winter storms can turn outdoor furniture into projectiles. Store or secure anything that could be moved by high winds. ## Documentation - **Photograph your home before you leave.** A thorough photographic record of your home's condition at departure is invaluable if you need to file an insurance claim. - **Locate and organize important documents.** Your insurance policy, home warranty information, and contact numbers for your utility companies, HVAC contractor, and plumber should be easily accessible — both to you and to your home watch professional. - **Confirm your insurance coverage.** Some homeowner's insurance policies have provisions that affect coverage for vacant homes. Review your policy and contact your agent if you have questions. ## The One Thing Most People Forget Every item on this checklist addresses something you can do before you leave. But the most important protection for your home is what happens while you're away. A well-prepared home can still experience a furnace failure, a slow leak, a security breach, or any number of other problems that no amount of pre-departure preparation can prevent. The difference between a minor inconvenience and a major disaster is almost always how quickly the problem is identified and addressed. That's what professional home watch provides: regular, documented inspections by a trained professional who knows your property, catches problems early, and contacts you immediately when something needs attention. [Request a complimentary consultation with Michigan Home Watch](/lp/snowbird-home-watch?utm_source=blog-aab&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=cmp_qvjObiUrZ0a3jMQ6C18fqLqHHnYJLDyhOJigDvdLF4c&utm_content=act_XZApySG2AJJz9nKQE2w1UHTC2lHQtrXUPulDNDKBGGs&utm_term=topic_snowbird-checklist) before your departure this fall. We serve Grosse Pointe, Bloomfield Hills, Oakland County, Macomb County, and surrounding Southeast Michigan communities — and we take on a limited number of properties each season to ensure every client receives the attention their home deserves.