Closing up a second home CONDO in Florida and heading back North part of the year (Tampa: rent, condos)

Moderate Guy · 02-04-2012, 03:23 PM

Hi Guys,

So many sponsor the idea that all one has to do is to lock the door and take off back up north to one's other home during the off-season. Many have said that if it's a CONDO, not a house, that one has in Florida as a second home that there aren't many issues to be concerned about when closing up. Am I wrong to feel that this is an over-simplification?

Sure the best of both worlda seems ideal on paper, but aren't there issues and work involved other than just locking the door and leaving. Are there things to be concernrd about - even with a CONDO - like bugs, hurricanes, water leaks, mold on furniture, etc., security, airconditioning being left on or off, utilities, etc.? Doesn't one also lose sleep up norh worrying about a second home thousands of miles away?

Has anyone done this regularly who can offer some advice? Is it worth doing...or is it better to just own one home, forexample, in NYC or in Florida ...and just stay in a hotel or extended home hotel when one wishes to go to the other home in another state?

Thanks for any experiences or insight on this topic.

annerk · 02-04-2012, 04:29 PM

When we first built our home in Florida we were still living in NJ. We turned off the gas, turned the a/c to kick on at 80, set the alarm, and left.

We left a key with a friend a few miles away just in case.

Our next door neighbors live in the UK, they left a key with us and we check on their place every couple of weeks.

Moderate Guy · 02-04-2012, 05:53 PM

Thanks Annerk...

jghorton · 02-04-2012, 06:51 PM

Destin, Fl. is filled with condo's owned by part-time residents who simply turn them over to a variety of property management companies who keep an eye on things, rent them out and do maintenance and repairs as needed (all for a fee, of course).

Moderate Guy · 02-05-2012, 08:26 AM

The second home CONDO would not be rented out during absences...there would be no professional caretaker - unless someone tells me this is a MUST - the condo would just be closed down until the next visit.

Are there issues involving bugs in the toilet bowl, water leaks, mold on furniture, hurricane readiness even with a CONDO, etc. that others have experienced or taken measures to prevent? Does anyone worry about a home thousands of miles away? Also, is the travel back and forth between the North and Florida aggravating in a post 9/11 environment where air travel has become a hassle?

annerk · 02-05-2012, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moderate Guy

The second home CONDO would not be rented out during absences...there would be no professional caretaker - unless someone tells me this is a MUST - the condo would just be closed down until the next visit.

Are there issues involving bugs in the toilet bowl, water leaks, mold on furniture, hurricane readiness even with a CONDO, etc. that others have experienced or taken measures to prevent? Does anyone worry about a home thousands of miles away? Also, is the travel back and forth between the North and Florida aggravating in a post 9/11 environment where air travel has become a hassle?

Leave the A/C set to 80 and you'll avoid mold. We still had our exterminator treat monthly (we have "Tubes in the Walls" so they do it all from outside. Leave the toilet lid up and it will help keep mildew at bay. I would leave a key with someone who could check for leaks now and then if you are going to be gone for months at a time. The longest we were ever not back even for a couple of days was two months.

Many condos have rolldowns that you pull down over the windows when you leave. Of course bring in all deck furniture, etc. If it's not mailed down, don't leave it outside.

And I fly back and forth between Florida and the northeast at least a couple times a month on business. It is what it is, and it's really no big deal unless you make it one.

Moderate Guy · 02-05-2012, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by annerk

Leave the A/C set to 80 and you'll avoid mold. We still had our exterminator treat monthly (we have "Tubes in the Walls" so they do it all from outside. Leave the toilet lid up and it will help keep mildew at bay. I would leave a key with someone who could check for leaks now and then if you are going to be gone for months at a time. The longest we were ever not back even for a couple of days was two months.

Many condos have rolldowns that you pull down over the windows when you leave. Of course bring in all deck furniture, etc. If it's not mailed down, don't leave it outside.

And I fly back and forth between Florida and the northeast at least a couple times a month on business. It is what it is, and it's really no big deal unless you make it one.

Thanks so much, Annerk, for sharing your experiences..and yout valuable insight. I'm a New Yorker who dislikes winter with a vengeance...but I recognize that there's the opposite scenario in Florida in the summertime - excess heat/humidity. I'm trying to determine whether I should go for the best of both worlds for a few years..then decide to do all Florida or all NYC. I'm a writer who has not yet made it big - but the ability to travel between a condo in Tampa and one in NYC may be possible - if I work out the finances and logistics properly.

I do so appreciate your input. Thanks again.

Rabflmom · 02-05-2012, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by annerk

Leave the A/C set to 80 and you'll avoid mold. We still had our exterminator treat monthly (we have "Tubes in the Walls" so they do it all from outside. Leave the toilet lid up and it will help keep mildew at bay. I would leave a key with someone who could check for leaks now and then if you are going to be gone for months at a time. The longest we were ever not back even for a couple of days was two months.

Many condos have rolldowns that you pull down over the windows when you leave. Of course bring in all deck furniture, etc. If it's not mailed down, don't leave it outside.

And I fly back and forth between Florida and the northeast at least a couple times a month on business. It is what it is, and it's really no big deal unless you make it one.

One word of caution about shuttering your windows. Here the fire department warns against leaving them on because if a fire starts in the building there is no easy way for them to get in and fight the fire in your unit or house. Instead line up someone to put the shutters on or roll them down when a storm is coming.

Another caution....be sure to empty the fridge and freezer-even though electricity is still on to run them. Once when neighbors left the breakers went off during a bad storm . No one knew it happened until the smell of rotten food started coming out of the garage where the freezer wth all the fish he caught while here started to smell.

annerk · 02-05-2012, 07:39 PM

Yeah, definitely empty the fridge and freezer of anything that might not do well if the power goes off.

We used to leave things like unopened cans of soft drinks, Margarita mix, mustard, pickles, stuff like that, but we never left anything perishable. Maybe some burger rolls in the freezer.

One way to know if your power went off for long enough that things aren't safe to eat is to put a few ice cubes in a ZipLock. If they aren't in the same shape as when you left them, your fridge and freezer got too warm and you need to toss stuff.

gypsychic · 02-06-2012, 07:13 AM

When we used to have a second home in NC, I never left the fridge on when gone - always emptied it, turned it off/unplugged and left the door open. I think that is the best thing to do. We used to also cut the water off at the shutoff to the house, and left AC/heat set at minimum temps. Also left a key with neighbor for emergencies.