Snowbirds are retirees that head to warmer states down south when the snows hit the northern states. These folks have two residences: one in the north and one in the south. If this applies to you personally, you undoubtedly have some concerns when you leave one of your homes unattended for several months. You can hire property management services to help ease your concerns. However, there are a few things you should know first.
You Will Need Two Separate Property Managers
Your property manager in the north cannot manage your property in the south. Different laws governing these services exist in the two separate states where you keep two separate homes. As such, you will need to hire two different property managers to provide services for both of your properties when you are not present. The good news is that you will not need these services at both locations all year long. You only need to hire the property managers for the months you have listed and for which you have paid.
Services in the North Include Very Different Services Than in the South
When you head south for the winter, your property manager will clear snow and ice, check on the house to make sure there are no break-ins, and check on the temperature in the home to maintain a constant fifty degrees to avoid frozen pipes and water damage. When you head home in the spring, your winter home will need a lot of landscaping and lawn mowing services to keep the property from looking overgrown and abandoned. Your southern property manager will also check on the house to keep intruders and squatters out. Maintaining the home's temperature is not really a problem, so the air conditioning remains off in your absence.
If You Want Extra Security, You Can Request Real Estate Door Locks
If you're hiring a real estate agent to manage your properties, you can request additional security in the form of the real estate door locks. These are overlocking, giant padlocks that require both a key and a passcode to unlock. They cannot be cut off, nor can they be smashed with anything hard enough to remove them. The doors cannot be opened from outside without taking these security locks off first. Ask your property managers about this and other available services that will bring you peace of mind when you are at your other home for half the year.
After thinking long and hard about what to do with my living situation, I finally made the decision that it was time to buy a house. I was tired of living paycheck to paycheck because of rent, so I began working with professionals to guide me in the right financial direction. I was able to find a great company that offered exactly what I wanted to learn, and they walked me through the financial aspects of home ownership. Within a few short months, I was living in a gorgeous new home that I absolutely loved. Check out this blog for great advice on home ownership.