Tips to prepare your home for winter

FARGO — Whether we like it or not, winter weather is coming. Fargo's first annual snowfall is typically on or about Nov. 1, so October is the ideal time to winterize your home. A good first step is to check seals on windows and doors, clean gutters of leaves and debris and make sure the chimney is cleaned out. Next, you may want to start bringing in any outdoor furniture or grills. After that you can look inward at the big-ticket items like the furnace. "I would definitely get your furnace and AC checked once per year," said Ty Rambousek of Laney's Inc. null What they're gonna check on your furnace is the filter and make sure it's clean, but what happens when it's not? "Worst-case scenario is, ya know, you're cold, you feel the coldness getting into your home, but burst pipes are the biggest thing we deal with every year," Rambousek said. And burst pipes are no joke. According to NerdWallet, about a quarter of a million homes see a burst pipe