When you’re going to be on the road for a while, you’ll likely have to make some arrangements in order to make sure your home is safe and ready for you when you return. If you’re only going to be gone for a weekend, these measures won’t have to be anything big. But if you plan to be away from your home for an extended period of time, you may want to take some extra precautions to ensure everything will be safe and in good working order when you’re back. To help with this, here are three tips for caring for your home when you’re away traveling.
Ask For Some Help
The first and most important thing you should do if you plan to leave your home empty for a long period of time is to ask someone close by to help you out. This could be a friend or you could hire a property management service to keep things in order for you. If you choose to have one of your friends or family members take care of things for you, Caroline Costello, a contributor to SmarterTravel.com, recommends leaving not only your house key but your car key as well. Especially if you park on the street and don’t have a garage, having someone around who can easily move your car if necessary could save you a lot of trouble and headache is something comes up and you need to put your car somewhere else.
Keep Things Looking Normal
One of the best ways to keep your home safe from burglars or intruders is to make it appear like someone actually is living there even if no one is at the time. This can be done by trying to make your home look as it normally would if you were living there. Jeremy Anderberg, a contributor to ArtOfManliness.com, shares that you can do this by keeping a few of your blinds open on windows, putting timers on your electronics and lights, keeping your lawn and driveway cleared using a service or friend, and stopping your mail from coming. All of these things will help make your home look like it’s functioning like normal even though it’s really in sleep mode.
Put Valuables Out of Sight
As was mentioned above, it’s good to keep your blinds open if that’s how your home normally looks when you’re there. However, it’s a good idea to take certain precautions if you choose to do this. Laura Gaskill, a contributor to Houzz.com, recommends securing your glass windows and doors will a stick or type of pole in the groves of the track so it’s harder for someone to break in through there. Also, survey your home and make sure none of your valuables are easily seen through your windows. This will make your home much less tempting to anyone trying to take advantage of homes while they’re vacant.
If you plan to be gone from your home for awhile while traveling, use the tips mentioned above to keep everything safe and secure while you’re away.
