I am having to travel for up to a month at a time now. I had my mail held, only to find out they started delivering it again. My internet went out and they won’t fix it unless I’m there. I can’t afford a house sitter and haven’t found anyone that needs a place to stay. What ideas do you have to minimize the stress of leaving your home for prolonged periods?
Good neighbors. Befriend them.
Cameron said:
Good neighbors. Befriend them.
An old roommate taught me this: Always be on friendly terms with your neighbors. Put up with their annoyances, and the friendship will pay dividends.
@Bayley
I get my next door neighbor to watch my place and pick up mail and packages. I always get her a $50 total wine gift card. She loves it and she is always happy to help me.
Cameron said:
Good neighbors. Befriend them.
All of our immediate neighbors are retired. We let them know when we’re going out of town and for how long. We also let them know the name and description of the car they drive of the person going into our house to take care of our house plants.
Get to know your retired neighbors. Best security system in the world.
I work FIFO. FWIW, I won’t own a home because I’m single and it’s not worth the stress of being gone from it. I still have to leave my apartment for long periods though, and I’ve learned a few things over the years.
A PO Box, I’ve found, is worth its value in reduced stress. Even the best of friends can’t grab your mail/packages with the frequency needed to make it look like someone is home (…and honestly, the odds are something will get lost in the shuffle). Google Home or something similar for temperature, since pipes freezing is a legitimate concern for me in winter. Security cameras/break-in alarms - you can’t do diddly squat about the theft, but someone will get annoyed by the noise and call the police. I’m also very twitchy about who knows when I’m gone; I have one or two trusted friends that have the actual details, but I leave it vague otherwise. As far as utilities going out… Sometimes, you just have to accept they’re not working and you’ll fix it when you get back.
Secure parking for me has been the biggest one, since my car has been messed with 300% more than my apartment has been. Right now I have an arrangement with staff at my small, regional airport, but in the past I’ve paid friends to park my car with them.
You could join Trusted Housesitters. Not shilling for it because I haven’t even joined myself yet.
Cheaper than getting a mail service or a PO Box.
Another vote for trustedhousesitters.com. I know folks who travel full time and like having quiet places to stay and this works out well for them.
Smart plugs and smart bulbs so that you can randomly turn things on and off or schedule them. If you’re scheduling lights, use random times and vary the times every day, don’t have lights that come on at the same time every day.
My adult kids live locally.
What I do:
- Turn HVAC to lowest setting, off, or install a wifi-controlled one.
- I set my heat pump/furnace to 65. I live in a 30-degree winter mountain town.
- Turn water off to avoid floods.
- Installed leak detectors near washroom, kitchen, and bathrooms.
- Unplug anything not needed while you’re gone. Typically only the fridge and furnace, wifi need power.
- Use smart bulbs, switches, and sensors.
- Cameras with hard disk recording at entrances, garage, access points from the house.
- Outdoor smart lights with camera.
- Have solid neighbors. We text every time we are out of town.
Turn off your main water valve. Let water drain out of lines (if freezing weather).
The #1 insurance claim is from water damage. Your fridge ice maker or washing machine hose likes to start leaking when you’re gone.
By far, my #1 concern.
Know any teenagers that could just stop by for a little bit every so many days for a few bucks? Easiest job for a teenager I would have loved this.
Shan said:
Know any teenagers that could just stop by for a little bit every so many days for a few bucks? Easiest job for a teenager I would have loved this.
I would have had a party, so there’s that!
Check your home insurance, as you may need to have someone check the home every so often (48-72 hours, usually) to catch any issues with flooding or utilities. I would think that checking cameras remotely might count, but verify with your insurance company. We just had the neighbor’s house down from us experience flooding over Christmas while they were away. They had someone checking it regularly. We also had friends a few years back have a furnace stop, pipes freeze and burst, and literally their second-floor bathroom sink into their kitchen which then sank into their basement. No insurance coverage, as no one had been checking it in a Canadian winter. Pay a neighbor, your friend’s kid, or your boss’s sister, or someone you trust to come in regularly if your insurance says cameras won’t do.
Join a housesitting website - people will sit for free, and come with reference checks and full bios etc. Have used this many times and met some lovely people.
I have lights on timers. Turn off water. Have cameras in front and back of my house and all inside. I have a monitored alarm. I can see my security camera video from anywhere. I have Ring cameras. I don’t mention trips on social media nor to anyone but close family. I have a safe and also hiding places.
A mailbox with a key is great.
I house and pet sit through Trusted House Sitters. There is a membership fee to join but outside of that, engaging a housesitter is free.
Luckily I live in an old house which has a mail slot, so no worries with the mail. Otherwise turn down the furnace in winter and a/c up in the summer, unplug everything but the fridge (which is mostly emptied before I leave), close all the curtains, park my car out back, and lock the doors! My very nice neighbor has a key and keeps an eye out. Occasionally one of my kids might come and stay for a short time. So far, so good.