topic Re: Question for snowbirds that own a winter home in Among Friends

Question for snowbirds that own a winter home

Mom2Dogs — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 01:33:21 GMT

My friend has a place down south for the winter...she was widowed last year and is new at handling issues on her own.

She found out via a neighbor that she has water under her sink..as well as the house was pretty warm, not sure what the issue is but for those of you that own a home and leave it empty for the summer, do you have a 'person' that does a walkthru on a weekly/monthly basis....if so it is a friend that does that for you or did you hire a company?

Any advise appreciated, thanks.

Re: Question for snowbirds that own a winter home

ItsME — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 01:41:39 GMT

@Mom2Dogs I don't have a second home. I'm full time in south Florida. Your friend absolutely needs someone to go into the home on a weekly basis to be sure that everything is in order. Valves break (on water lines), pipes break, refrigerators break and defrost, roofs leak, A/C breaks down, etc. You get the picture. Gee, I went away for a weekend about 2.5 years ago, and my water heater was burning when I got home!

Some people have friends who check on their homes, most hire people. Usually there is a handyman or two who does/do a lot of work in the community, and they do home checks during the off season.

Re: Question for snowbirds that own a winter home

Mom2Dogs — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 01:47:16 GMT

@ItsME ....she is a tad frazeled right now....her son lives a few hours away so he can check it this time but cannot be relied on to do it weekly.

She has had trouble finding reliable help...she had a window replaced...took several calls after a missed appointment for them to show up...same with landscaping people.

I wonder if there is a company that does that sort of thing similar to a rental property company that cleans up and has repairs made once a tenant moves out or in the situation my step daughter was in she owned a home in one state and was transferred to another state, the real estate company handled any repairs needed when the renters moved out.

Re: Question for snowbirds that own a winter home

azgal — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 01:47:22 GMT

My next door neighbors are snowbirds. They paid my son to go over once a week to run the water faucets and check on things.

She definitely needs someone to check on her home. If she doesn't have a neighbor she can trust, there are companies that do that.

Re: Question for snowbirds that own a winter home

azgal — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 01:52:30 GMT

When it comes to repairs, there might be a property management company that can handle that. I know they handle rentals but that could be a place to start. If they don't provide that service, they may refer her to someone who can help her.

Re: Question for snowbirds that own a winter home

SXMGirl — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 02:17:49 GMT

@Mom2Dogs She can check on Nextdoor.com and ask for recommendations. Also, the local senior center probably has a list of vendors who they recommend.

Re: Question for snowbirds that own a winter home

sunshine45 — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 02:23:04 GMT

she could try contacting some of the cleaning companies in the area. we have a second home that gets used a lot during the summer months, but less in the off season. i do go as much as possible to make sure everything is working and to dust and clean a bit. i know that some of the cleaning companies in our area do winter checks on units that are not in use during the winter months. some have them come bi-weekly, some monthly.

she may also want to join nextdoor.com for her area. there are great resources and recommendations on that site from locals. it is a website and an app.

Re: Question for snowbirds that own a winter home

GCR18 — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 02:51:03 GMT

My parents were snowbirds for 20+ years. They spent three months in florida, so most of the year their condo sat empty. My father turned off the water and electric when they'd leave.

There has to be companies that do that with the high population of snowbirds. I think I'd ask neighbors what they do.

Re: Question for snowbirds that own a winter home

ItsME — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 03:07:48 GMT

@Mom2Dogs I'm sure there are companies that do this. But, I'd start by asking neighbors if they know anyone.

Re: Question for snowbirds that own a winter home

patbz — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 03:14:58 GMT

@GCR18 : Why don't you go into any local real estate office and ask for referrals for walk thru/ maintenance. It's to their benefit to provide this info as they are,in the service industry.

Re: Question for snowbirds that own a winter home

Kalli — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 03:22:17 GMT

We have dh’s cousin check our place regularly. It’s great to have peace of mind when you’re not there full time. If not for him, we’d probably pay one of the neighbors.

Re: Question for snowbirds that own a winter home

GCR18 — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 03:22:40 GMT

@patbz wrote:
@GCR18 : Why don't you go into any local real estate office and ask for referrals for walk thru/ maintenance. It's to their benefit to provide this info as they are,in the service industry.

@patbz My parents were fine with their setup. When my father passed, the condo was sold.

Re: Question for snowbirds that own a winter home

tansy — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 04:26:16 GMT

I have a handyman check on the vacant home every two weeks.

Re: Question for snowbirds that own a winter home

homedecor1 — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 04:41:41 GMT

@Mom2Dogs

Not sure of the type of community she lives, but, I have recently become President of our HOA BOD. At one of our meetings, this concern was raised by a snowbird who has no "relatives" in our area. We formed a "neighbor" program.

it is comprised of "neighbors" in our community who will check on a home. We also have a fair amount of "older" residents who use this service. Of course,it's voluntary but most are neighbors.

We also are fortunate we have a realtor and guys from our maintenance area who are available for "property mgt" for a fee. Many use him them they charge a fee for services -- I think it's $90/month or of course, maintenance things are as needed.

One important thing is to remind your friend to turn off water at the main shut-off. We had a home completely destroyed by a broken pipe under the sink -- they were snowbirds. I recall that was the first thing people told us to do.

As for contractors, yup it's a hit or miss! This has been my experience now I only go by true referrals from neighbors. (Believe me they are the best cause they tell you the truth ).

If your friend lives in a gated community with a Community manager / administrator that would be the person to ask. They are very good at knowing these things.

If she doesnt then I would tell her to ask a neighbor or look on NextDoor a great place to find good info -- since it's people in her neighborhood.

Re: Question for snowbirds that own a winter home

chrystaltree — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 11:16:34 GMT

My daughter's in laws live in FL for half the year and they have a property management company that inspects their home, mows the grass, will secure it in the event of tropical storm or hurricane. People probably make arrangements with close neighbors to do those things for them too. It would have to be someone you trust. I assume that's arrangement she has with the neighbor but I don't understand why the neighbor hasn't called a plumber about the leak and turned the ac on or put the fans on to cool the place down.

Re: Question for snowbirds that own a winter home

jlkz — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 11:48:25 GMT

@azgal

Excellent suggestion: property management. While we are in FL, we have a prop. mgmt agent check our home weekly for winter issues. He managed rentals for us but we no longer rent out the property. He managed a major upgrade to the property while we were in FL a few years ago.

If there are folks who live in your FL property year round, ask them if they would check your place and its needs while you are away....and negotiate a fair price for their services. If you use a prop, Mgmt. Co. You will pay a higher price and extra charges if repairs are needed and they must send someone out to the site.

Re: Question for snowbirds that own a winter home

Mom2Dogs — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 11:51:40 GMT

@homedecor1 ....she is the youngest in her neighborhood (64).....so there is no neighbor to ask and as you stated contractors are hit or miss...she has had a really hard time finding someone (anyone) reliable. I will ask her about the main shut off...

The only reason someone went into the house is because they wanted to borrow something, otherwise the problem would not have been discovered until she went back down this fall!

Like I said this is her first year taking care of the place with out her husband.

I appreciate all the responses, I knew I would get some advice for her, thank you!

Re: Question for snowbirds that own a winter home

riley1 — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 12:48:58 GMT

She might be able to hire a Property Management company to check on the house, cut the lawn, etc. Since she is not in this house for long periods is it possible an unknown person has been living there? Apparently, this has become quite common and can be a costly problem.

Re: Question for snowbirds that own a winter home

tends2dogs — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 13:40:58 GMT

We have a home in the south and one in the north where we split our time. When we are away from the southern place, we have a service that checks our home on a weekly basis. It is a couple. He does a walk around, checks the pool, yard, etc to see if those people are doing their job. She goes through the inside and checks under sinks for drips, the thermostat, looks

for bugs, or just problems. We had a problem once where our AC wasn't cooling. They lined up the repair and met the tech there while it was fixed. It isn't cheap, but it is peace of mind.

We have our maintenance man for our apartments check our home in the north. He basically does the same thing for us.

Your friend needs to have a house checker. It doesn't take long for mold/mildew to takeover, especially this time of year. A little $$ spent now, could be a big savings down the road.

I feel for you neighbor, losing her husband. If I lost mine, I don't think I would continue the back and forth thing. I enjoy and love it because I am with him to share it.

All the best to your neighbor. You are a good friend.

Re: Question for snowbirds that own a winter home

homedecor1 — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 19:51:29 GMT

@Mom2Dogs

I totally understand being the "youngest" in the community!

We formed this group of "neighbors" for many reasons but mostly because "no one is neighborly" as in neighborhoods of the past! (If you know what I refer -- no one looks after each other).

That's interesting the person wanted to "borrow" something and obviously has key to go in her house yet she can't ask this person for 5 minutes of their time to just check the house periodically🤷‍♀️. I would!

I asked our friend (the realtor I referred to in original post) they have management companies who are licensed, insured & bonded for these situations but are very costly.

Most just tour the outside side of the homes and if they go inside they are considered "property managers".

He suggested calling a reputable local realtor (or one she used) for recommendations.