Are you preparing your home for extended vacation? Join me as I interview.
Henry Barrie,
of Barriecade Home Watch Services to find out the 10 most important things we
need to consider when preparing our home for extended vacation. Let's go!
Hey everyone; welcome back to my channel!
I'm Lindsay with the Wise Move AZ Team at Realty ONE Group.
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Today I'm joined by a very special guest, Henry Barrie.
Henry is the owner of Barriecade Home Watch Services here in Anthem. Henry,
why don't you tell everyone a little bit about your company?
Well, Lindsay Barriecade Home Watch Services is all about peace of mind.
Anytime you're away for an extended period,
it's not only good for your peace of mind, but also from an insurance standpoint.
It's important to have someone check on your home while you're away,
to make sure everything is as it should be, and that's what my company does.
We protect your home like it's our own.
That's great and very important here in Anthem, and throughout Arizona!
We have a significant number of seasonal residents. So,
why don't we take a walk around the house and you can show us the 10 most
important things that we, as homeowners,
should consider when preparing our home for extended absences.
Sounds great! Let's go!
So, here we are in the garage.
What are some things we should pay attention to out here when we're preparing
our home for extended vacation or absences?
Number one and most important is shut off the water to the interior of the
house. If you have a vacation valve,
simply turn it to the 'off' position by turning the lever perpendicular to the
pipe, and if you don't have a vacation valve,
I highly recommend that you get one.
They're not that expensive to install and believe me,
it will save you money. Even if you don't have anyone checking on the house,
this valve will shut off all the water to the interior of the home,
except for the cold water at the kitchen sink. This way, if anything breaks,
a pipe, a toilet, or something else, a limited amount of water,
we'll get into the interior of the home.
Many homeowners have had expensive repairs due to water issues,
including replacing drywall and flooring. The vacation valve will pay for itself,
believe me! Number two,
turn the hot water heater to 'pilot' or 'vacation mode' by turning this dial.
If you're gone for the season,
many people actually shut the hot water off completely by turning off the
natural gas right at the tank. The choice is yours, but either way,
hot water is not required when you're not here. Number three,
unplug your recirculating pump, if you have one.
This pump calls for hot water on the timing that you set for it,
and of course if you're not there,
you don't want this pump calling for hot water.
These are all great tips for protecting your home from potentially costly damage
while you're away.
Let's assume that some people are leaving their cars behind when they head out
of town. Is there anything special that they should doing to protect them?
There is, Lindsay.
A person should consider getting a trickle charger for your cars.
This charger will maintain a charge on the batteries for pennies a day,
and for my clients,
I usually take the car for a short drive to rotate the tires and make sure the
summer heat hasn't caused any problems. And Lindsay,
don't forget those people that have a golf cart in Anthem,
leave them plugged in and charged. And again, for my clients,
I drive them also and check the batteries for water level.
That makes sense.
Nobody wants to come back from vacation to find out that their car died while
they were away. Let's head inside so you can show us what we need to do in there.
Let's do it! Well Lindsay, here in the kitchen,
the fridge is very important.
Remember to empty the fridge and freezer of any perishable food items.
You don't want to return to a house that smells like someone died there! So,
dispose of those perishable or frozen foods by giving them to a neighbor,
trashing them or donating them to your local food bank. The fridge is however,
a great place for storing batteries, canned goods,
candles and nonperishable items; but also, remember to turn off that ice maker.
That's a really important one,
and don't forget to empty your trash before going on vacation,
especially if you've just put all those perishable food items in there
Lindsay,
next you're going to want to unplug anything you're not using such as toasters,
lamps, TVs, stereos, computers, printers,
etc. You can also consider flipping the fuse to the off position for the stove,
the microwave, and the dryer.
This will help cut down on electricity bills and ensure that nothing happens if
there is a surge while you're gone. Not a bad idea though,
to leave a lamp or two on, using timers,
to come on in the evening hours to make the house look lived in. Next,
you want to make sure that you set your thermostat so your air conditioning
cools at a higher temperature.
You don't want to pay to keep your house cool while you're gone,
but you do want to make sure it doesn't get too hot in there.
I usually recommend that my clients set the temperature to cool somewhere
between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
It's also a great idea to leave some buckets of water in the bathrooms,
the kitchen,
and the main living areas so that you provide some humidity in the house.
If you have someone checking on the house,
you can have this person top up the water as needed.
Next remember to secure all your windows and doors.
Not only does this help keep the home secure,
but it can also increase your energy efficiency and reduce those cooling bills.
Lastly, if you have an alarm system,
make sure you turn it on and whoever is entering the house while you're away,
make sure not only they have a code, but also your password,
just in case they set it off accidentally and that alarm company calls and says,
'who are you?'. Number nine,
I strongly recommend that you keep your pool maintenance and your landscapers
working during your absence from the home.
Ask them to send electronic reports to you,
so that you know that they've been there and you can also forward that
information to anybody that you need to check on your property, as well.
This will help ensure that there's no major problems for either the pool or the
landscaping,
which could become major expenses if they need to be fixed on your return.
These are all great tips. Thank you.
I'm going to jump in and give tip number 10 and that would be,
without hesitation, to hire a Home Watch Professional,
like Henry to take care of your house while you're out of town.
Hiring a home watch professional is a small price to pay for the peace of mind,
of knowing that your most precious asset is well taken care of.
Henry takes care of all of the things that we mentioned in this video and so
much more. For a full list of what Henry does,
and to get your free copy of our extended vacation checklist,
simply click the link in the description box below. Henry, if anyone watching
wants to get in touch with you, how can they reach you? Thanks Lindsay,
they can reach me at Barriecade@cox.net or by calling me at (623) 225-5259.
I'd be happy to answer any other questions.
Thank you again for all your great insights. I hope
you found this helpful in preparing your home for extended vacation or absences.
If there's anything Henry or I can do for you,
please don't hesitate to reach out. If you enjoyed this video,
let us know by hitting that like button, subscribing for our channel,
and sharing this video with your friends. See you next Thursday.