Hello, first-time home buyer! Your first home is something to be proud of. It takes a tremendous amount of work and confidence to invest in the precious commodity of property. However, the responsibilities of homeownership do not stop when you shake the realtor’s hands and fill out the paperwork; it’s time to make it your own.

If you’ve lived in the Twin Cities for a while, you know severe summer storms come with the territory. Those storms have real potential to inflict minor to severe damage around the exterior of your home, and if you fail to detect the damage early, it will inevitably grow worse.

High-quality gutters aren’t just an excellent addition to your home exterior; they’re an essential protective measure in precipitation-prone climates. And in the Twin Cities, where we see everything from torrential summer downpours to multiple inches of snow and ice throughout the winter, every home should have them. The gutter installation experts at Eastern Roofing & Siding explain why below.

Did you know severe winter weather is the third-leading cause of catastrophic property losses in the U.S., behind only hurricanes and tornadoes? It’s true — but it doesn’t have to be true for your home, provided you take steps to prepare your house to make it through the winter season unscathed.

Whether you own a home that doesn’t have gutters or your existing gutters are severely deteriorated, you should understand what kind of damage your house is at risk for. While gutters and downspouts are certainly optional — there’s no building code that requires them — they play an integral role in protecting your home and property.