Mary Jo Bellner Swartzberg
Imagine this: You have driven 15 hours to get back to SaddleBrooke, and you cannot wait until you fall into your own bed for a restful sleep after having visited relatives for a week. Then you open the front door and you are met with a reeking scent that is coming from your kitchen. After an inspection, you find that the refrigerator had stopped working and everything is spoiled.
Or imagine that you had just flown into Phoenix from having spent two glorious weeks in Hawaii. You are dead tired, but you have to claim your luggage, take a shuttle to get to your car, and then drive two hours to get back to SaddleBrooke. When you arrive at your home, to your shock, a water pipe had burst and there is water everywhere.
Perhaps one of these scenarios has happened to you and, if so, you can sound the alarm for others to heed your newfound advice: Ready your home for your absence.
Chatting with two of my golfer friends a few weeks back, we talked about when they would be leaving for the summer. They indicated everything they had to do to prepare their home for their absence. I asked them if they would share their advice with me in preparation for this article. And over a glass (or two?) of Pinot Grigio, they shared their sound advice for home preparation. The following “absence from your home” to-do list is not in any particular order, and some of these suggestions are for when a house will be empty for four months or more.
• Stow patio cushions to avoid pack rats nibbling on them.
• Stow any patio art.
• Hook up the drip system to potted plants, even the succulents.
• Turn down the temperature of the water heater. If you have a circulating pump, turn it off.
• Wrap the toilet bowls in Saran Wrap so that the toilet water does not evaporate.
• Turn off the water to the house. Do not turn off the irrigation valve.
• Reset the house thermostat to 80 degrees. Do not turn the air conditioning off.
• Draw the shades or close any shutters.
• Ask a neighbor or a friend to check on your house (e.g., open the refrigerator(s) or freezer(s) to make sure that they are in working order, take in the mail, remove any delivered packages or have your mail and packages redirected or held).
• Leave your contact information with the SaddleBrooke Patrol.
• Shut off the refrigerator ice maker and empty the ice container.
• Unplug all electronic appliances, the coffee maker, toaster oven, radios, clocks, etc.
• Empty perishable items from the refrigerator.
• If your car remains in the garage, leave the key with your neighbor and have him/her take it for a spin every once in a while.
• Close all drains in your sinks/showers/bathtubs.
And here are a few other suggestions (from Google):
• Ensure all doors and windows are locked and secured.
• Consider a security system with motion sensors or cameras.
• Place a few GPS tags on your car, bike, stereo receiver, and under your TV base.
• Place valuables in a safe.
• Hide or remove any expensive items from view.