Among Friends

[Kalli]

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. 

[GCR18]

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@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.

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

[tansy]

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

[homedecor1]

@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.

[chrystaltree]

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.  

[jlkz]

@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.

[Mom2Dogs]

@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!

[riley1]

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.

[tends2dogs]

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.

[homedecor1]

@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.