It’s getting close to summer and if you are all packed and ready to head back up north, don’t forget to make sure your Sarasota home is prepped for the long, hot, and humid months ahead. Regardless of the weather, a lot can happen to a home that is left unattended (think mold, mildew, break-ins, and infestations), so making a preemptive strike will ensure that your luxury vacation home will be exactly how you left it upon your return to our wonderful Sunshine State.
From the most obvious preparations to tasks that you would never think are needed to maintain your home, here is our list of preparatory steps to shield your home against unwanted occurrences:
- Clean out your refrigerator
- Run water in all faucets for 10 minutes to flush system, then put olive oil (about one capful) in trap to seal in moisture
- Turn off the water
- Unplug the hot water heater/Turn off the breaker
- Make sure pool water supply autofill is still functioning
- Turn off the breaker for the pool heater
- Set the air conditioner at 78 degrees and the dehumidifier at 45
- Install surge protectors throughout your home
- Unplug all audio/visual components, including the phone and cable lines
- Clean out gutters and drainage
- Have all stucco cracks sealed and all caulking at windows and doors inspected and repaired as necessary
- Inspect grading at the perimeter of your home for improper slope (All grading should slope away from the foundation)
- Schedule pest control services
- Bring in lanai furniture
- Stop newspaper deliveries until your return
- Forward your mail to your off-season home
- Temporarily discontinue phone, internet and cable services.
- Have someone check on your home once a week and open your garage bi-weekly to let in fresh air
The list may be long, but it is nothing compared to the clean-up associated with something going wrong. If these items still make you want to pull out your hair, it may be time to call a home watch company to take care of them for you. Our preferred Naples custom homebuilder, London Bay Homes, offers all of these services with their Home Watch and Estate Management programs. If you’re already living in a London Bay home, there is no one better equipped to maintain your home than the luxury custom homebuilder that built it in the first place. Contact us for more information on their services.
