June 15, 2007

PREPARING YOUR HOME FOR A VACATION OR ABSENCE

By Kate Davey
Special to the Times

Preparing your home for a vacation or absence is critical to protecting your assets and ensuring peace of mind while you are away.  Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to make your time away stress free.

Before you leave town:

- Tell a trusted neighbor when you are leaving and when you will return

- Leave a travel itinerary with a friend or colleague

- Arrange for a neighbor to pick up your mail, newspaper and packages, or have your local post office hold delivery until you return

- Set timers and lights - be sure to set these to operate randomly, if possible

- Clean out refrigerators - there is nothing worse than returning from a trip to find spoiled food in the event of a power outage

- Unplug non-essential appliances

- Leave your answering machine on

- Close curtains

- Lock doors and windows

- Set fire and burglar alarms

Traveling during the winter?:

- Set thermostat at 60 F and have the house inspected at least every other day in case of furnace malfunction

- Leave doors or bathroom vanities and the kitchen cabinet under the sink open (this will allow more heat to get to the plumbing)

For security:

- Cut shrubs below window level and trim trees away from your house

- Obscured doors and windows are targets for forcible entry - add deadbolt locks to these areas if necessary
I hope you find this information valuable. As always, it is my goal to ensure that your home owning experience is all you desire.  Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help make that a reality. And don’t forget to call or email me when you have a real estate or home-related question. As your lifetime real estate resource, I am here to help!

Kate Davey & Associates offers a full array of Real Estate Services and information on every facet of the Real Estate Industry. From Selling to Buying a Home or from Home Improvement to Home Safety, Kate Davey & Associates provides a full concierge service. If you have a specific question, please call Kate at 408-497-5283 or email your question to: info@katedaveyteam.com.

Next Issue: “Planning A Great Lawn Party”