5 Important Steps to Take Care of Your Vacation Home

Having your own vacation home can be fantastic. You could be a snowbird who travels in the winter for sunnier, warmer weather. Or, you’ve purchased a vacation home as an investment property.

Purchasing a vacation home is a good way to ensure that you’ll have a place to escape to. But you’ll also need to take care of your investment, securing and maintaining it during the months it’s vacant.

There are potential issues that could arise during your absence. However, there are things you can do to prevent these issues. Below, we have listed tips on how to maintain your vacation home while you’re away!

1. Set Up a Security System

Investing in a security system for your vacation home is a must! This could include a front door alarm system, cameras, window alarms, or other devices.

This will allow you to keep an eye on what is going on in and around your house. Many homeowners feel more secure knowing they can see into their homes even if they are hundreds or thousands of miles away.

Furthermore, if something were to happen to your home, local authorities would be able to access it more quickly. Otherwise, you may be completely unaware of incidents taking place in or near your home!

2. Make Use of the Owner’s Closet

An owner’s closet is any lockable closet or room in your vacation home where you can store all of the items you want to use while on vacation.

So, if you have friends, or renters visiting your vacation home on a regular basis, make sure to keep your personal belongings in an owner’s closet.

The majority of homeowners don’t keep important documents or mementos in their vacation homes. However, if you must, place these items in a waterproof bag inside the owner’s closet. Keeping these items safely stored is a must for any owner of a vacation home.

3. Allow a Professional to Take Care of Your Vacation Home While You’re Away

Just like in any home, each appliance in your vacation home, from the refrigerator to the dryer, needs regular maintenance to function properly.

This is true especially when you’re not using them regularly. If you’re away from your vacation home for a long time, make sure to have a plan in place for appliance maintenance.

Having professional companies take care of your home, and do necessary renovations and appliance maintenance even when you’re not there, is a smart choice.

Depending on your vacation home’s location, you can work with different companies that offer such services. Different companies in Columbus, Woodfin, Weaverville, Franklin, or Asheville take care of your home and handle necessary renovations even when you’re not there.

These companies can change old appliances with high-quality Asheville water heaters, smart thermostats, smart air coolers, water purifiers, etc. These appliances are easy to install and will be a great addition to your vacation home.

4. Choose a Low-Maintenance Location

Not all vacation homes are equal when it comes to maintenance. The location and individual characteristics of a home can make it more or less work to maintain.

Homes in moderate or temperate climates, for example, are likely to require less maintenance. On the other hand, homes in areas that receive a lot of snow or experience significant seasonal changes in weather are harder to maintain.

In addition, newer homes typically require less maintenance than older ones. The type of house also matters. Single-family homes may need more effort than condominiums, where exterior maintenance is typically handled by the homeowners association.

5. Prepare Your Vacation Home for Severe Weather

If your vacation home is in an area prone to hurricanes or strong winds, consider installing hurricane shutters if you’ll be leaving it empty during the storm season. Also either move outside items indoors or anchor them so they don’t become airborne during high winds.

If your home is open to ice, freezing temperatures, and snow, you may want to consider installing shutters to prevent snow from damaging your windows. You can also add window plastic to keep the inside temperature warmer.

Or, if your home is in a flood zone, you should first maintain your flood insurance. Also, you can install a moisture or water-level sensors to alert you if flooding occurs.

Final Thoughts

Even from a distance, there are many ways to maintain your vacation home. As you consider purchasing or building your dream vacation home, make sure you take all the necessary steps to keep it safe at all times.