When inspecting your roof you want to look for any missing or loose shingles or flashing. If you have a pair of binoculars they can help you get a better look at flashing around your chimney, ridge vents and plumbing vent pipe. If you see any problems write them down and you will have to go up on the roof to see if they can be fixed easily.
Next checkout your siding or brick / stone work look for any dammage or buckeling in the siding. Look at the fascia boards and moldings to make sure there isn’t any termite or water rot dammage. Check the vents under the soffit and give the gutters a good look for any looseness or pulling away from the house.
While you are looking at the side of your house you should inspect the areas where Utilities enter the home look for any air gaps around gas pipes you can caulk, check that the electric service line is secure and other boxes are in good condition.
You should clean your gutters as needed but it is best to leave that job until all or most of the leaves on your trees have fallen. Depending on your location gutter cleaning will probably be done in November. Clean gutters are important before winter because melting snow if blocked can cause ice to form and get forced under the first few rows of shingles causing you serious problems in the middle of winter.
Inspect your doors and windows. This is something you need to do inside and outside. Make sure each of them work properly and smoothly. You can lubricate the door locks, hinges with oil which will improve their operation and reduce the likelihood of freezing in the winter. Make sure there isn’t any missing or damaged weather stripping or paint problems you should take care of while its still warm.
Inspect your bushes and plant beds. Remember that plants should never come in contact with the home. Trim back extra growth providing at least 6 inches of space so insects won’t use your plants like ladders to enter your house. Examine your trees look for dead branches or ones that need to be pruned so they dont hang over or come too close to the house.
Fall is a great time to fertilize your lawn. Dethatching should be done with a garden rake or lawnmower attachment after or even while cleaning up the fallen leaves.
Planting Bulbs is a job for the fall. There are a number of different flowers that bloom early in the spring like daffodils and tulips. Even if your not really into flowers its nice to see something growing early in the spring and all it takes is a few minutes in the fall to make a hole and drop the bulbs in.
Inspect your Sidewalk, Porch or Deck you should probably wash them with a mild soap. Clothing detergent works well along with a broom. If you have mold or dark stains you can add 1 cup per gallon of bleach and let it sit a while before scrubbing. Remember to wash the bleach away well with plenty of water. You may also want to paint or stain your deck but don’t do it if the leaves are beginning to fall. By that time of the season stains will take longer to dry and you will end up with leaves stuck to your porch. Just clean it and wait until next spring.
Driveways should be sealed if they are made of asphalt early enough in the season that it will dry in one day. You need 70F or better for about 6 hrs so you can drive on it if you use latex, maybe overnight if you use oil based. If you have a concrete driveway you should fill any cracks so water won’t cause damage when it freezes in the winter.
Inspect any outside lights as you will put them to more use during the early nights of winter. Make sure your mail box and trash storage areas are in good condition. Check out your shed and pool if you have one and prepare to drain your pool for winter. Clean your filters and drain water supply lines along with shutting off the electric from inside the home.
If you have animals check their outside houses. Cleanup the general area and repair any chains or other items.