Managing your home remotely from afar has never been easier than it is today. There are several tools and services available that did not exist even ten years ago. We’ve listed some ideas for you to consider – and welcome your input on things you do to make a home from afar a little more manageable.
Safety and Access to Your Home:
- Use a smart video doorbell to track what
is happening at your remote home. Several of these doorbells will notify you when there is activity around your front door – and will capture the activity via camera for you to see. Through these devices, you are also able to speak to visitors. - If you need to allow a friend, service provider, or someone else into your home while you are away, there are digital locks that can be set-up with a unique code for your visitor to enter your home, providing you peace of mind as to when they entered and when they left. No more giving away your garage entry code that can’t be easily changed from afar.
For more information, visit Google’s Smart Home offerings, ADT, Apple HomeKit, Amazon, SimpliSafe, Vivint Smart Home just to name a few. Also, please note that any of these smart solutions should operate off a secure home network when possible.
Maintenance:
- Locate a housecleaner to spruce your home up the week before you return and once you leave again. Use a list of the chores to be performed each time a cleaning occurs and special chores that you want done quarterly or semi-annually. Ensure that your housecleaner has a back-up that you trust and that is familiar with your home.
- If you live in a condominium complex where maintenance is generally performed for you, make sure you have a list of phone numbers and contacts saved and easy to access, especially if there is an emergency.
- Consider a personal property manager, even if you own your second home. Someone who can quarterback all your needs while you are away. They can do things such as:
- Perform weekly inspections of your home
- Prepare your home for storms
- Routine and preventative maintenance
- Yard work and pool maintenance
- Serve as concierge service to other professional contractors (i.e., plumbers, electricians, cleaners, etc.
While You Are Away
- Strongly consider a generator that you can operate remotely through a mobile app. Not only will you receive status on when the generator is in operation, it can let you know when routine maintenance is needed and the outcome of “exercises” it will run routinely. One provider we are familiar with is Generac.
- Look into smart temperature and humidity tools / sensors if you want to be able to manage your home’s heating and cooling schedule, be notified if an issue occurs (i.e., home becomes very warm or cold, moisture increase that may be a sign of a leak, etc.).
Note, depending on the location and frequency of visits to your home, prices may range from $50-$100 a week and up.
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