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Vacationers Home Check-List
by Ian White
If you are planning on being away from your home for an extended amount
of time, it is important that you secure your home. You will not be able
to enjoy your family vacation, concentrate on the business meeting, or
feel relaxed while visiting relatives, if the thought of your home being
violated is always in the back of your mind. There are many things that
you can do before you leave, as well as things you can have arranged to
be done by a third party, that will ensure that your home, property and
pets are safe.
The most important aspect an owner needs to be concerned with is that
their home does not look vacant while they are away. Statistics report
that generally a home is burglarized every 12 seconds. It is important
that you leave your curtains open when you leave. Closed curtains
indicate a vacant home. You can also purchase light timers. They will
turn on and off different lights in your home throughout the day until
you return from your trip. It is also good to invest in motion sensor
lights for the outside. As added protection, you may want to keep a
radio on somewhere in the main part of the house. The volume need not be
very loud, just loud enough to fool an intruder. It is also good to have
an alarm system. Make sure that it is turned on when you leave.
Do not leave house keys under rocks or flower boxes around your home.
Make sure they are all removed prior to your departure. Never leave a
message on your phone that you are away. That is just asking for an
intruder.
You need to also be aware that your lawn can also give signals that you
are away and your home is vacant. If you are leaving during the warmer
months, clip your lawn prior to your departure. Arrange in advance to
have someone come and cut your lawn while you are away, as well. It is
also good to cut back plants or shrubs that would provide a good place
for an intruder to hide, or lurk behind. If you live in a cold climate
and it is winter, be sure that you make arrangements to have someone you
trust come and shovel the snow while you are away. Nothing gives a clue
that no one is home more than a driveway and side walk that is piled
under 6 feet of snow. If it is pool season arrange for someone to clean
your pool while you are away.
Make sure that all outside work buildings or sheds are locked. Mowers,
bicycles, and tools need to be secured inside. It is important that you
do not leave your garage door opener inside any vehicles that will be
left on the driveway. You can even arrange to have someone move your
vehicles around periodically in your driveway to give your home the
lived in look. Check all windows prior to leaving, as well as outside
doors. Dead bolts on the doors, and key locks for the windows are the
safest. Just make sure that the keys are removed from the window locks
before your trip. Do not forget your skylight windows, or the small
fanlights that may be in your bathroom. If an area is small enough for a
head to fit through, it needs to have a lock on it.
You need to contact your local post office and have all mail kept there
until your return. Cancel all newspaper subscriptions, as well. This is
not an uncommon practice, and it will ensure that you don't have papers
piling up on your walk, or mail spilling out of your box. That is an
open invitation to an intruder.
It is also important that you are careful during casual conversation
with the clerk at the store, dry cleaners, clubs, etc. Do not let anyone
in the general public know that you are planning a trip. You never know
who might be listening. It is also important that you do not list your
address on your luggage.
You would be surprised at how many homes are burglarized because a
future burglar saw your address on your luggage at the airport. They
simply follow you to the departure gate and ransack your home that
evening.
You can contact your local law enforcement office and let them know that
you are going to be away. Give them the dates of when you will be
leaving and when you will be returning. They will provide a patrol unit
to drive by your house every day to be on the lookout for anything out
of the ordinary. If your neighborhood has a neighborhood watch program
have your home listed as one of the homes that is in need of being
watched. It is a good idea to also make an inventory of your valuables,
with serial numbers and model numbers where possible. This information
comes in handy if you ever have to file an insurance claim due to theft.
It is important that you make adequate arrangements in regards to any
pets that you may own. You can board them at a shelter, if need be,
though the comfort and care of your pet should always be kept in mind.
It will be unsettling to your pet to be separated from you, make sure
that their temporary home is as loving and comfortable as possible. No
family pet should be kept in a cage for an extended amount of time. Make
sure that you are leaving your pet with someone who is an animal lover,
and not in the business of kenneling for greed. You should never forget
the goldfish in the tank, or the plants in your home. It would be sad to
come home to a floating fish and dead house plants. You may want to make
prior arrangements to have someone come into your home to take care of
these other special family members.
Prior to leaving it is important that you go through the refrigerator
and dispose of any products that will have spoiled before you come home.
You need to reduce the temperature on the hot water heater to a lower
temperature, as well as the thermostat on any central heat and air units
that you may have. Make sure that all outside water hoses are
disconnected if it is the winter season, it will help to keep your pipes
from bursting in extreme cold weather. It is also important that you
check all smoke detectors to verify that they are in working order.
An option that you may want to check into that will give you peace of
mind is a house sitter. This is a person that comes in and takes care of
all the above listed things and stays at your home while you are away.
Your pets will be able to stay in their own environment, the plants will
be watered, the pool cleaned, the mail checked, the lawn will be mowed,
etc. The house sitter's voice will be heard on the end of the telephone
line when a future burglar calls to check to see if someone is home. It
will be the house sitter that they see coming and going from your home
on a regular basis if your house is under surveillance by a future
burglar. The presence of the house sitter is the number one burglar
deterrent.
A house sitter can also provide invaluable services like forwarding
faxes to you if you run a home business and an urgent matter needs to be
dealt with. They can also provide immediate attention to your home if
there is ever an emergency. House sitters are the best thing you can do
in regards to your pets. They can take your furry friends for their
scheduled checkups, and tend to them if they get sick or hurt. They can
also bathe them, feed them and love them until you get home. You can
also leave a grocery list with your house sitter. When you return home,
you will have a pantry and refrigerator stocked full of food, and you
will not have to worry about that dreaded chore upon your return. A
house sitter can also be in charge of getting any needed prearranged
servicing done on your vehicles, or your home, while you are away. Above
all else, the main service that a house sitter provides is that you can
call home and see how your home is doing.
There is no greater feeling than to have peace of mind and to be able to
enjoy your time away from home. The only feeling that can match that is
coming home and finding that your home is still intact, your pets are
well, and that your valuable are where you left them. You cannot leave
home without having someone watch over your home. The day of everyone
leaving their front doors unlocked are over. Make sure that you do
everything you can to assure that your home, pets and possessions are
well-protected while you are away.
About the author
Author Ian L. White specializes in helping people who are interested in
finding a house sitter in their town, or for more information about the
benefits of house sitting. To find out about these services, visit
www.housecarers.com
today.
Registration is free for homeowners and a free trial is offered to House
sitters.
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