Tips for Prepping your Home Before you Travel

After many months of putting travel plans on hold, airports, hotels, and resorts are busy again and you may be gearing up for your own summer getaway. As you dust the cobwebs off of your suitcase and get all of your documents in order don’t forget to prep your home for your time away. Especially if you are going to be away for more than a few days, you’ll want to take some safety precautions to make sure that your home will be exactly as you leave it when you return from your trip. While a homeowners association or neighborhood watch is a great asset, it’s better to be safe than sorry. With some pre-planning you can get everything ready so that you can feel relaxed as you get ready for your next adventure.

Assess your landscaping

If you have a front yard, chances are you’ll need a gardener or irrigation system to keep your garden thriving while you are away this summer. There are two benefits of this. Not only will you save your plants, but you’ll also eliminate a red flag that can tell thieves that you are away. For example, if you are to go away for a long period of time, a thief will notice when the outside of your home hasn’t been attended to. To prevent this, you might want to get in touch with a reputed landscape maintenance firm (similar to these atlanta landscaping companies) that can take care of your garden, lawn, and back yards while you are away. This can prevent your home from looking deserted.

Take your gutters as an example. If you are to leave without checking your guttering, you could return home to a big mess, or worse if a thief spots this first. Contacting a company like Clean Pro Gutter Cleaning New York City will allow you to sort any issues before you depart, which will leave you feeling less anxious about your home looking empty. An irrigation system on an automatic timer can be an investment if you travel often and have a relatively low-maintenance garden that doesn’t need to be trimmed frequently. If you are thinking about selling your home soon, you can also keep up your home’s curb appeal, which is what real estate agents call how your home looks to buyers from the street.

Security systems and power check

There are two good reasons why you want to check your power usage before you take off for your trip. First, having electronics like monitors, TVs, and appliances plugged in is still going to cost you money, even if those devices aren’t in use; unplugging them will lower your bill and keep your home safe in case of a power surge while you are away. However, some electricity is a plus as you can set lights in main areas of your home on timers for a safety measure along with a security system. Even if you aren’t home you can create the illusion that you are, to protect yourself as a target from thieves.

Think of the unthinkable

Depending on where you live, you may need to face the likelihood of a natural disaster, like a wildfire, or that someone could break into your home while you are away. While this isn’t a fun subject to consider, there are steps you can take to make sure that what you do leave behind is secure. Especially if your house is located in an area where forest fires are common, then you must make sure your house is prepared at all times, whether you are away or not. Implementing adequate Fire Prevention measures with help from expert companies like Sun Fire Defense can be a good place to start.

A fireproof safe in a concealed part of your home can be an ideal place to store expensive jewelry, heirlooms, and important documents that you aren’t taking with you. You could also take it a step further by taking these items to a safe deposit box for extra security. You may also want to consider updating your homeowner’s insurance for natural disasters or simply to up your coverage amount, before taking an extended trip, using a net proceeds calculator or an appraisal to see just how much everything is worth.

By taking steps to get your house ready before you take off for your vacation, you’ll have peace of mind so you can enjoy yourself in full relaxation mode this summer.

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