Snowbirding – Leaving your home in the care of others
November 24, 2022
About a month after Gary and I had hit the open road, I asked my brother Les to check on a potential problem at our house. I was confident he had taken care of it but did not want to make any assumptions so emailed him a couple of days later to ask if all was well. This was his reply:
Took 2, I say 2 crane trucks to set the roof back on after the explosion and it is only slightly askew. I think we got lucky with the sewer pipe. Good foresight to install a 5 incher. Any smaller and the black water squirting out the joins would have made a much worse mess!
How can that many rats cram themselves into a toilet bowl? We found the best solution was to leave the front door open and put on a looped recording of Maria Callas hitting a high ‘F’ accompanied by a dog whistle and a piccolo and within only 2 or 3 hours they had found their way out. The neighbors were not at all happy about either the rats or the Prima Donna whistle, but they seemed mollified when I explained that they were all invited to a prime rib dinner upon your return. One even asked if there would be Yorkshires.
I’ve always found that diplomacy is the best solution! So, I answered in the affirmative.
Pity the rodents did not all take the same route out. The incontinence was something to behold. Still not sure how to solve that problem because when your favorite neighbor sent photos to the first responders, requesting assistance, they declined to attend so we have temporarily just boarded it all up.
Best to take on projects of this magnitude in the spring.
Personally, my way of handling these things is to keep looking up knowing who is in control and that the future will be serene. Not in the near future mind, but we’re not talking Methuselah time here either.
Alrighty then. Y’all have a great trip and if a cute little seaside cottage pops up on your radar, maybe give it some serious consideration.
Love and kisses,
Your once favorite brother
Les celebrated his 72nd birthday last week but has lost neither his wit nor sarcasm. Pity.
Our house is part of a somewhat secluded strata, and we have great neighbors with whom we share a driveway, so leaving it unoccupied for six months is not as worrisome as it might be. Still, there were a lot of things to consider.
I first thought the house would need to be occupied or at least checked on every three or four days for insurance purposes. Renting it out furnished for six months was a distinct possibility in the current rental market, but that could be problematic. The strata’s bylaws prohibit children under the age of 16 living there, and pets are not allowed either. The house is furnished to sleep a significant number of people, and renters might be tempted to fill it to capacity. That and other things would need to be policed, and the management companies I contacted would not deal with anything less than a twelve-month lease. Besides, there would likely be a lot of wear and tear on the property, and I want things to be pristine.
I could have asked a friend or family member to house sit, but that would not have eliminated all the potential problems. To make it worth their while we would have needed to keep paying for heat, cable and internet, and those expenses can be significant.
I decided to call my insurance agent to determine exactly what was required of us. I learned their only real concern was that the water pipes might freeze and burst. I was told preventing such a thing from happening can be accomplished in one of three ways:
- Use a smart thermostat and monitor the temperature of your home from afar.
- Turn off the water and drain the pipes.
- Have someone check on the house once a week.
We opted for both option two and option three.
Before I retired, I employed Veronica to help keep the house the way I like it. While we are away, she is providing the following services:
- collecting and photographing the mail
- ensuring the thermostat remains at 55° Fahrenheit (13°C)
- watering the plants, using water we left in the tub after sealing the drain with duct tape
- starting the cars once a month
- changing the furnace filter after we have been gone 3 months
- checking the house once a week for anything that may be amiss.
Veronica is very conscientious, but since English is not her first language, our communication via text and email is not always clear. That is why I am happy to have family, friends, and neighbors available to come to the rescue.
For example, a few days ago I had to ask Garry Anderson to take photos of a government cheque I saw had been mailed to me despite arrangements having been made months ago for direct deposit. I was able to take pictures of the photos Gary sent to me electronically, to deposit the funds using the bank app on my iPhone. Gotta love technology.
Garry said while he was in the house, he heard the smoke detector chirping but was on his way to catch a flight to Hawaii and will change the battery when he gets back. I thought we had planned for everything that might need attention in our absence but hadn’t considered the smoke alarm. It’s been a learning experience, and we’re only a month in!
I would like to point out to Les that while Garry is also capable of biting sarcasm, in the 17 years I have known him he has never unleashed it on me. Just sayin’.