Leaving a house empty in summer: questions.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by kell490

I just replaced my disposal it was made out of stainless steel should not rust seemed like most of the $150+ at Lowes were stainless steel inside. That's a good idea with the antifreeze.

I live near Sun City, SCW, and SCG. A word of advice for snowbirds in that area. Buy your RV Antifreeze EARLY in the year. There is a run on it around March. Home Depot didn't carry it. The only brick and mortar store that I know of is Walmart. Last year I went to 6 Walmarts and finally found one that had any left. Now, I have a couple gallons in stock (one gallon works for our 3.5 bath home).

Good point on the stainless steel disposal.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by Hal Roach

Minnisoda...why not just use Wi-Fi cameras?

I found wifi cams to be a total disaster. They operate on 2.4 gigahertz frequency the same as most wifi (there is also 5 gigahertz) and the high transfer rates with the constant sending of images interfere with the operation of all other devices in your home (and probably your neighbors as well). My thermostat did not work, netflix paused constantly, and my laptop slowed to a crawl. The things I could change to 5 ghz worked ok, but those are limited.
Changing channels recommended by manufacturer did nothing to fix the issue. Stick with wired or cams that broadcast on something other than 2.4g.

[BigEinAz]

Run some ice cubes through your disposer to keep it clean.

[smoochaz]

Nothing beats having someone check on your home every so often - my neighbors were gone for 6 weeks and thought shutting off the main water switch (near the home - not the one in the street) was sufficient - well I don't know what happened but that pipe somehow burst and they came home to 3 inches of water throughout the home- so have the city shut off from the street is the lesson learned - unless you don't want to shut off completely because of your landscaping ?? then that's when you have someone come through to check out every so often.

This goes for condo owners too - snowbirds do it all the time - they come in the winter and shut off water when they leave -
make sure you know where the main pipes are for the building if you are buying ground floor! just saying!!

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by smoochaz

Nothing beats having someone check on your home every so often - my neighbors were gone for 6 weeks and thought shutting off the main water switch (near the home - not the one in the street) was sufficient - well I don't know what happened but that pipe somehow burst and they came home to 3 inches of water throughout the home- so have the city shut off from the street is the lesson learned - unless you don't want to shut off completely because of your landscaping ?? then that's when you have someone come through to check out every so often.

This goes for condo owners too - snowbirds do it all the time - they come in the winter and shut off water when they leave -
make sure you know where the main pipes are for the building if you are buying ground floor! just saying!!

My wife house sits ten houses and she charges about 430 a month per house depending on what the people want her to do. She watches a couple of otheers for free as those folks do a lot of stuff for us throughout the year.

She provides a checklist of the things that she checks each month. Since all the homes are along the path that she walks twice a day, she can keep a close eyes on those home.

High tech equipment would seem to alleviate the need for "housesitting." However, all these alarms do not detect gas leaks, water leaks within the house, active termite nests or the presence of pack rats in the yeard building nests. These are items that my wife detected and contacted the number. She was able to get these issues resolved immediately. She can also get everything set up for the owner's return.

[Voebe]

Doug, I just remembered someone. At the beginning of the year, I was introduced to someone named Judi Oliva, who has a small personal concierge type of service. She seemed to be very attentive and efficient. Of course she'd charge more than a neighbor, since she has travel time, but she seemed reasonable. Sorry, I can't find her telephone number at the moment, but you should be able to track her down.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

My wife house sits ten houses and she charges about 430 a month per house depending on what the people want her to do. She watches a couple of otheers for free as those folks do a lot of stuff for us throughout the year.

She provides a checklist of the things that she checks each month. Since all the homes are along the path that she walks twice a day, she can keep a close eyes on those home.

High tech equipment would seem to alleviate the need for "housesitting." However, all these alarms do not detect gas leaks, water leaks within the house, active termite nests or the presence of pack rats in the yeard building nests. These are items that my wife detected and contacted the number. She was able to get these issues resolved immediately. She can also get everything set up for the owner's return.

Actually, I own Z-wave water sensors. This is one of many brands (see https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H3TJ3P4...a-335357014924 )

As i just looked inside and outside my home, I love the technology. I also looked at how the lights were programmed (what lights went on when as timed to my zip code). that said, with my $100 platform, I can monitor and automate water leaks too. See Use your mobile device to manage water use. Buy today at Flows.Com! .Again, z-wave. It tracks water usage and allows for you to turn off your valve (outside or inside). It can be programmed to cut off the supply automatically.

For termites, I finally hired a pest control company. They are my termite eyes. My weekly landscaper is another set of eyes for me. Then the city of Surprise walks the lot every three days. Of course all of my neighbors have my phone # too.

In summary, I'd rather have techology monitor my home 24-7 versus waiting for someone to look at the home every-so-often. I'll pay for technology up front. Personally, I don't want people inside my home when I am not there. WORSE case situation, I have homeowners insurance.