leaving house empty

if you have someone winterize home make sure they will be responsible for any freeze damage. our plumber said he wouldn't do dish washer or wasing machine-guess what dish washer didn't survive have to have repairmen come fix watwr valve & drain we did run machine w/water off & poured rv antifreeze in draain still froze haven't tried washing machine almost afraid to.we have done this 2 years & no problem till this year. we do turn heat completrlt off as i can't stomach 3-400 gas bill

My parents passed away and left their house to me. DW and I thought it would be best to keep family in it to keep heat on and maintain everything. All parties agreed on $300 per month rent to help with taxes and insurance. Should have known something was up when we went to visit one day and were not allowed to go inside the home. Long story short, after six months with no rent paid and finally able to evict we gained entry to find about $20,000 in damage, heating oil used up, and 10 cords of wood used up, walls torn out, sinks torn out, wallboard and trim chewed off by dogs, and several windows broken. This just turned into a terrible experience that taught us that it would have been better to leave the home empty rather than leave to family members to treat with disrespect.

We leave our home vacant while traveling in the RV.

Lakeside

Living in Minnesota it is guaranteed to get cold while we snowbird. I turn off the water just in case, turn the heat down to 50, lock up and go.

But, I pay a neighbor to clear the snow and they have a key. I also have a reasonably priced Freeze Alarm that has three phone numbers programed into it that it will call and give a message to them should the power go out for more than an hour or if the temp gets below my preset temp. It will call the neighbor, my son who lives in town and my wife's cell phone. If I call the house, hang up and call again, it will answer and tell me the status of everything and I can change any of it's settings. If I don't do the call back thing, I'll get my voice mail so I can check on that too.

http://www.amazon.com/Control-Products-FA-I-CCA-Intermediate-FreezeAlarm/dp/B000071NYC

Keep in mind that homes get broken into if you're living there, too! :) Millions of people enjoy the warmer temps in winter. Just do all you can to prepare the house and GO!

This past winter was our first snowbirding experience. We enjoyed a 3-month trip away from the worst winter weather this area has endured for a long time.

To relieve our concerns about our house while gone I installed an internet accessible camera in the house and a wifi thermostat.
By using our smartphones I could view the inside of our house and check on the temperature at any time.

We also had a relative or friend do a walk-thru of the house every week or so to check for any issues.

And on the way home it was nice to be able to access the thermostat from on the road in our motorhome and turn up the heat so the house was nice and warm when we arrived.

You may want to try having a housesitter look after your home while you are away. We have used one for 5-6 months per year for the past 10 years and have had nothing but success. You need to be careful in the selection process, but if you do your due diligence properly this can be a great way to leave your vacant house worries behind.

Housecarers web site

Regarding insurance...when we were in the process of moving our first home was going to be vacant for a six month period (Oct-Mar).

Our home insurer advised that to maintain home insurance the house needed to be visited/checked once a month, preferably every three weeks. This could be a friend visiting and going through the house, or a security company visiting and checking the status of the property.

We decided to go with a "house sitter" but that turned out to be a stressful experience as they wanted to change many things in the house to make it feel like their "home". I guess they felt more like a tenant than a "sitter". When they departed after three months (because we wouldn't let them renovate), we left the house vacant and had someone drop by once a month to check the property.

While not Snowbirding, I do have security cameras connected to a hard drive and the internet. Easy to check on with my Smartphone. Some states have odd laws with vagrants that move in. If they stay long enough to start getting mail at your house no Judge/Sheriff can touch them. It's rare, but, happens.

deereone wrote:
This may have nothing to do with snowbirds leaving the house while on vacation. But, my uncle passed away a few weeks ago. His daughter called his house insurance company to ask if any changes needed to be made to the policy as the house would set empty till they settled the estate. The insurance company informed her if the house was going to be unoccupied for over 30 days they would not insure it. Sometimes your afraid to ask. So she went to another insurance company and was able to get it insured, but at nearly double the cost just because it would be unoccupied. Just something to think about.

The term they use is 'Abandoned' since the original insurer is never coming back. Very different from being a Snowbird for a few months. It's all in the wording.

As noted, check with your insurance company.

We are in a townhouse so it is a bit different than a stand alone as the exterior is taken care of.

I put new batteries in the thermostat and set it at 55 degrees, turn off the water and drain the system, put mineral oil on the water surface in toilets (pink stuff sounds like a good idea), unplug the garage door opener, lock the doors and drive away. Have left it for 5 or 6 winters now with no issues.