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Please, please, please, have someone who knows what they're doing shut the water off. You cannot believe how many homes I've seen listed that have had pipes burst or sinks leak or icemakers leak-- and no one is home-- and either the floor or much of the whole house is ruined.
A house in my old neighborhood was "saved" by neighbors, who called police when they saw WATER COMING OUT THE WINDOWS. It was summertime.
No. I mean have the utilities company disconnect. I'd call them, tell them I'm moving and have them shut off the power/water professionally on their end or whatever.
Also, other than water and power, is there anything else that you should have shut off or disconnect? Or for that matter leave on?
IMHO I would leave the stuff on...a good agent should be willing to check the status of the house after showings, or a trusted neighbor.
A potential buyer might want to check the water pressure/toilets, etc. and ashodl be able to se that lights work, etc.
You best check with your homeowners insurancetoo , if you intend on leaving the house empty.
Questions Are you in an area that has freezing temperatures? Does your home have drywall? What does your insurance agent say? Is there an electrically or water operated sump pump?
I've been in "winterized" foreclosure properties, which you seem to want to emulate. They usually sell for thousands less. But it's your home... save a few bucks.
If you winterize, be prepared to de-winterize for a buyer's inspection. I actually walked away from a house because the owner (a bank) would not do that (I put it in my offer that they would, as part of counter offer, they refused. I walked). The house proceeded to sit for many more months, and I got a better deal elsewhere-and this bank did dewinterize for the inspection.
It depends on where you are. In Florida: If you have a sprinkler system, leave the water on but turn off at the source for the toilets and sinks and put plastic wrap over the bowls. No sprinkler system, turn it completely off but again wrap the toilets. I would recommend leaving the electric on so the a/c comes on and takes the moisture out of the house.
I guess it depends on what part of the country you live in, but in Omaha, nobody with any sense shuts off the utilities. All sorts of bad things can happen to these houses in the winter. When I was looking, the only houses that had been "winterized" were bank-owned foreclosures, and the long cold months with no power had clearly taken a toll on the properties. As a buyer, I don't think I would have even considered a normal house on the market that had no power. If I'm having to walk around the house with a flashlight in sub-freezing temperatures, I'm not going to come away with a very nice opinion of the property.
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