Tom's Blog
Getting out of the house and onto your summer vacation is a lot of fun, but have you made your vacation checklist for your home? Before you leave on that much needed vacation, make sure you prepare your home for your absence so that your home remains safe, and your mind remains stress free.
Take a Few Steps of Precaution Before You Walk Out of the Door
While taking some necessary precautions won’t guarantee your home will remain safe while you are gone, it will increase the chances that something bad may be prevented. Below are just some of the precautions you need to check off before you head out:
- Ask Your Neighbor to Collect Mail/Deliveries- Nothing says you are gone like piled up mail, newspapers or packages at your door.
- Install Light Timers Inside Your Home- If you invest in light timers, it will be an inexpensive route to make it look like your home is occupied.
- Unplug All Electrical Appliances (ex: computer, televisions)- This is good idea since summer typically can bring on an electrical storm in an instant, leaving those appliances at risk for lightening damage.
- Make Sure All Doors and Windows are Locked- This may sound like a no brainer before leaving your home for vacation, but you would be surprised how many people leave their doors and windows open/unlocked.
- Never Leave a Spare Key Hidden Under a Mat or Yard Art- You may think that hiding a spare key under the concrete frog at your door is a secret hiding place, but thieves will look under a door mat or yard art first thing to access your home.
- Turn off the Water Supply to Your Refrigerator/Ice Maker, Toilets- Many times people don’t think to do this, but the first time you come home to a flooded home and have to redo all the floors due to water damage, you will never forget this one the next time you go on vacation.
- Ask Your Neighbors to Keep an Eye on Your Home While Gone- It is always smart to let those around you know that you will be gone for a period of time and if they should see anything unusual to let you know and/or call police.
Vacations are meant to be fun and stress free so take a few moments to make a checklist for all of the above items so that you can have the summer vacation and peace of mind you deserve!
