Stay in Touch
Get sneak previews of special offers & upcoming events delivered to your inbox.
Sign in
06-21-2019 09:33 PM
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.
06-21-2019 09:40 PM - edited 06-21-2019 09:41 PM
@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.
06-21-2019 09:47 PM
@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.
06-21-2019 09:47 PM
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.
06-21-2019 09:52 PM
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.
06-21-2019 10:17 PM
@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.
06-21-2019 10:23 PM
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.
06-21-2019 10:51 PM
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.
06-21-2019 11:07 PM
@Mom2Dogs I'm sure there are companies that do this. But, I'd start by asking neighbors if they know anyone.
06-21-2019 11:14 PM
@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.
Get sneak previews of special offers & upcoming events delivered to your inbox.
*You're signing up to receive QVC promotional email.
Find recent orders, do a return or exchange, create a Wish List & more.
Privacy StatementGeneral Terms of Use
QVC is not responsible for the availability, content, security, policies, or practices of the above referenced third-party linked sites nor liable for statements, claims, opinions, or representations contained therein. QVC's Privacy Statement does not apply to these third-party web sites.
© 1995-2024 QVC, Inc. All rights reserved. | QVC, Q and the Q logo are registered service marks of ER Marks, Inc. 888-345-5788