Start with sorting. Hi all I have a house in Morayshire (near Inverness) which is likely to be empty over the winter months. This will ensure that no crumbs or other sources of food remain for vermin. Turn off Very helpful! You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. It is made for winterizing anything you don't want to freeze. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Staging: A seller might have to stage the house and incur an additional expense for home staging. This is especially true of a popped washing machine supply hose. My sister was happiest when creating jewelry, purses or other crafts. wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. Why not look into vacant property services like Global Guardians, especially if you’re travelling for an extended period, moving into a new house, closing down your business or undergoing a long-term renovation. Close window shutters. Here are our helpful tips: Set up timer switches on lights on each floor and a radio on a timer somewhere near … If you post that you are leaving your home empty for a few months, you may be sending strangers an invitation to burglarize your home. You can and it's not a bad practice at all. This protects the furniture from fading and lets the linens air out over the off season. Avoid telling the world your home is going to be empty. This site had it all covered. Just dump a half-gallon of anti-freeze into each toilet and two cups into every drain trap. Rather than leaving an air freshener an enclosed space (and flooding the house with an overpowering smell of pine trees), leave a ceiling fan on to blow some air through the house. Only if it'll be subject to freezing or left unattended for a long period of time. Yes, you do. I would leave some form of heating on, a house stood empty and unheated will suffer and then need extensive remedial works to bring it back up to … Visit AARP’s Medicare Question-and-Answer Tool » I could write a book about this challenging process, but here are some quick tips for those who have to accomplish this on a tight budget: Set realistic goals. But emptying her home and preparing it for sale have been the biggest hurdles. If the house has a gas hot water heater, shut it off completely, and also unplug any appliances to avoid the risk of an electrical fire. As we mentioned earlier, one mistake sellers make is leaving utilities off. % of people told us that this article helped them. I have been both a live-in caregiver and a long-distance caregiver. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Gene Austin, Knight-Ridder Newspapers CHICAGO TRIBUNE. When you're leaving your house during winter for an extended period, closing up a summer vacation home,or cleaning a foreclosure, it's important to winterize your property to prevent it from deteriorating while you're away. "Tips that helped were covering toilet with saran wrap, putting coin on top of ice tray, and emptying the water, "Answered a lot of our questions and presented an organized plan to be sure things get done and undone upon my, "Excellent overall. Anywhere between 15 - 80 psi would probably be fine--just don't exceed 80 psi. Customary Ways to Leave a Home After Moving Most Sellers are good about leaving a home in presentable condition for the new Buyer. I live in Phoenix, and she lived on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Ask a neighbor to be on the lookout for packages which may come to you by UPS, FedEx or any another service. Typically, they won't pay for any damage resulting from a lack of whole house heating. One woman, a recently widowed retired teacher, saw our ads and wound up taking most of the craft supplies. We also contacted my sister’s church, and several members came to help us. Beware of leaving your house too warm if you decide to shut off the air conditioner completely. Even if you had the capital or income to cover this period, leaving a house empty for such a long period is not a good idea from a security and maintenance point of view. Distance was my first obstacle. Wash kitchen trash containers and put away soap, sponges, candles and other possible sources of food for vermin. If all moisture from drains evaporates, sewer gas and pests can enter the home through the drains. My first goal was to organize things into categories: obvious trash, important paperwork, items that family members might want, and items for donation or sale. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Here is a golden tip for extra safety: Do not post that you are leaving on an extended vacation or business trip on Facebook! If you have a fountain, either empty it and turn it off or leave the water circulating to avoid mosquito problems. If you have no desire to sell or rent your property, you … Prepare the Kitchen Clean out the refrigerator. I hadn't thought about that. Unfortunately, neither felt we had enough items of value to make it worth their effort and expense. There were times we worked all day and couldn’t even see a change. Can those costs be lowered by turning off the heat or air when the house is empty? “It is more economical to leave the heating and cooling system off in an unoccupied building,” said Darin Nutter, … Spreading out the work gave us time to rejuvenate, and it helped that I felt Karen’s presence every step of the way, chuckling over items we found and helping us infuse humor and fun into a very difficult, emotional process. 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\n<\/p><\/div>"}. Standard home insurance policies typically cover an empty house for 30 or 60 days, but the time frame can be longer, or shorter – so check your policy wording to be certain. Set your thermostat higher by 4 ℉ or 5 ℉ is better than full shutdown. Cover furniture with blankets and sheets from the house. This is one nightmare you can avoid. 6 years ago. So, make sure the sump pump is working before you leave town by dumping a bucket of water into the sump pit. To create this article, 31 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. Prop open their doors, the better to forestall mold and mildew (which like to grow in the dark) and their odors, which may transfer to the refrigerator’s plastic parts. The place gets pretty cold (and wet) at that time of year and I have decided to leave the heating on (debate welcomed) for the duration of this period. ", "Did not know I could use rv antifreeze in the house plumbing! Give yourself plenty of time to have it replaced, if necessary. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Leave nothing outdoors that can be blown about by a strong wind. If you’re like most people, you prefer to come home to a cool house in the summer and a warm house … Don’t Hide House Keys. Last Updated: October 8, 2020 Heating system/Electrical The heating system should be cleaned and inspected by a contractor to help ensure it is working properly, especially through the winter months, to […] Checklist: Closing up Your Phoenix Desert Home for the Summer Now that it is a day or two before you are scheduled to leave, here are some more things to remember to do to prepare your home for closing during the summer. ... What can happen to an empty house? Tips for the best thermostat settings to prevent frozen pipes. Should I turn the pump off during the winter if I have a well? The anti-freeze will replace the water, so there won't be anything left that can freeze. "I wasn't sure if I had everything figured out on closing up my house for the winter. Explore ways to distribute items. Shut off any propane or natural gas or propane valves. Everything left over — 20 truckloads’ worth — was taken to the dump. … If you own a vacation home in a remote area,consider leaving food and a supply of dry wood to help those people survive in the event of an unexpected, heavy snowstorm strands hikers, hunters and snowmobilers. How to Heat Your Empty House: Homeowners Clinic. Take care of your yard. Unoccupied home insurance covers your home if it’s left empty for longer than your standard policy allows. ", "This helped me a lot to start preparation. Friends came for a day or two to tackle specific jobs, such as sorting paperwork, packing boxes, transporting items to the dump or donation center, and working on the house and yard.