How to Safeguard Two Houses?

[Metta]

We are planning a very slow migration to New Mexico. Our plan is to buy a house in an area we like (in/near Nob Hill, Albuquerque or in Santa Fe) this summer. We are doing this so that we can easily get a mortgage with the current low rates and thus avoid having to pull $300,000 out of our accounts with the subsequent tax hit. We would move to Albuquerque/Santa Fe and stay until January.  Then return to Memphis so that my husband can teach and I can prepare the Memphis house for sale. Eventually we would fully relocate to New Mexico.

Both Memphis and Albuquerque have high crime rates and of course there are other problems that can occur with a house that is not being lived in. I am wondering if anyone has any wisdom on how to maintain two houses? We aren't keen on renting either place because we may need to go back and forth. And we don't want to have to manage rentals. We worry about imposing on friends if we are gone for half a year.

So how does this work? Are there companies that specialize in this? Obviously we would hire someone to maintain the yard and trees while we were away from Memphis and we can do the same in Albuquerque/Santa Fe if needed.

[Cranky]

I think that in areas with lots of tourists and summer rental places, you can hire a property management company to check on a place over the winter. However, when we were dealing with my mom’s empty house we weren’t able to find anyone to do that, and finally decided to just lock it up and let it sit. There was nothing worth stealing.

Otherwise, you could install a good alarm system, or get a grad student to house sit for a semester.

We’re actually in the same process of making a gradual cross country move that won’t be completed until this summer, but we’ve got family living in the new house already.

[freeat57]

I did this in 2012 when I moved across the country on short notice.  I asked around, particularly at my church about house sitters.  It turned out that a family I knew somewhat (they had been at that church for years) had a son who had returned from college and was responsibly employed.  He was living at home with his parents, but had been looking for an apartment he could afford.  After talking with his father about it, I offered Jacob the opportunity to live in my house rent free and to do usual upkeep, yard maintenance, etc.  He stayed in my old house for about 11 months and did just fine.  I kept in regular touch with him and visited twice.  He actually saved enough money to make a down payment on a house of his own and he cooperated with my realtor for showings and moved out less than a month before the house sold.  It was certainly a win-win.

Edit:  I informed my insurance agent about my arrangement.  He didn't bat an eye at all.

[socaso]

If you get a security system get one that is monitored. An insurance agent advised this. His reasoning was that if you have a camera only system all you have is a video of someone robbing your house but a monitored system will deploy law enforcement if there is a problem. He also pointed out that some camera only systems don't qualify for insurance discounts.

[AMandM]

You could try posting on the Marketplace board of this forum. I wouldn't surprised if you found someone who would agree to look after a house for a few months. You might even find someone who would stay in your Memphis house while you're in NM and vice versa!

[WSUCoug1994]

We have a second home that is in a lake community that is our final destination in retirement.  We use it pretty regularly during the summer but it is pretty quiet during winter.  This is a relatively high crime area because there are a lot of second homes that are usually left unattended for months at a time.  We deployed a monitored Simplisafe alarm on all of the doors and windows as well as motion detectors (including the garage), window break sensors and water sensors and were very obvious with the signage that we had a monitored alarm.  We also have wifi outlets that are on schedule to turn LED lights off and on irregularly during the week and our outside lights are on a light sensor and come on every night.  We have also deployed 6 different video cameras from Arlo that will send us video clips of any motion inside and outside of the house - we also have Arlo motion spotlights around the key entry points to the house. 

We have been lucky that we haven't had any issues as we are aware of the regular break-ins in the neighborhood.  To be honest I think the alarm signage is the best deterrent because if I was going to rob a house - I would avoid any house that has a known alarm system.  Since very few of our neighbors have similar signage - they may have alarms but at least we let them know that we do and it is hard to miss.  It is also pretty clear that we have video surveillance as the cameras are out of reach, they are very visible.

[ericrugiero]

You might check on insurance.  Unoccupied home are very expensive to insure.  Maybe you will be going back and forth enough for it not to be an issue. 

[Dicey]

You could try posting on the Marketplace board of this forum. I wouldn't surprised if you found someone who would agree to look after a house for a few months. You might even find someone who would stay in your Memphis house while you're in NM and vice versa!

Love this idea! Wait! Isn't @Adventine headed to Memphis? Her @MustachioedPistachio may well know of someone it they're not avaialble.

[Adventine]

You could try posting on the Marketplace board of this forum. I wouldn't surprised if you found someone who would agree to look after a house for a few months. You might even find someone who would stay in your Memphis house while you're in NM and vice versa!

Love this idea! Wait! Isn't @Adventine headed to Memphis? Her @MustachioedPistachio may well know of someone it they're not avaialble.

Thanks for the bat signal @Dicey ! I won't be in Memphis until late this year (unless a miracle happens) but I've asked Mr. MP about it.

[MustachioedPistachio]

Hey Metta! I may be able to help, at least on the Memphis side.

What arrangement would be most suitable to you? Do you want someone living in either residence while you aren't there, but not as formal tenants? Or rather someone to check in on the home every now and then, gather mail, make sure the lawn is cut, no damages, etc? Do you have any neighbors you trust enough?

ETA: I agree with folks above that a monitored alarm system is a must.

[Metta]

Thank you so much for all the advice! I appreciate it.

We have a second home that is in a lake community that is our final destination in retirement.  We use it pretty regularly during the summer but it is pretty quiet during winter.  This is a relatively high crime area because there are a lot of second homes that are usually left unattended for months at a time.  We deployed a monitored Simplisafe alarm on all of the doors and windows as well as motion detectors (including the garage), window break sensors and water sensors and were very obvious with the signage that we had a monitored alarm.  We also have wifi outlets that are on schedule to turn LED lights off and on irregularly during the week and our outside lights are on a light sensor and come on every night.  We have also deployed 6 different video cameras from Arlo that will send us video clips of any motion inside and outside of the house - we also have Arlo motion spotlights around the key entry points to the house. 

We have been lucky that we haven't had any issues as we are aware of the regular break-ins in the neighborhood.  To be honest I think the alarm signage is the best deterrent because if I was going to rob a house - I would avoid any house that has a known alarm system.  Since very few of our neighbors have similar signage - they may have alarms but at least we let them know that we do and it is hard to miss.  It is also pretty clear that we have video surveillance as the cameras are out of reach, they are very visible.

We have a good monitored alarm system, which is really a must in Memphis in our opinion. But we are not using Simpisafe. We are using ADT. We have motion detectors. I don't think we have window break sensors. I know that we don't have water sensors or video cameras within. That definitely sounds like something we should look into.

You might check on insurance.  Unoccupied home are very expensive to insure.  Maybe you will be going back and forth enough for it not to be an issue. 

You are right. And my insurance recently sent me a notice that said that houses that remain unoccupied for 30 days or more will not be covered if anything happens to them. We see ourselves going back and forth that year, but it is definitely something to think about.

Hey Metta! I may be able to help, at least on the Memphis side.

What arrangement would be most suitable to you? Do you want someone living in either residence while you aren't there, but not as formal tenants? Or rather someone to check in on the home every now and then, gather mail, make sure the lawn is cut, no damages, etc? Do you have any neighbors you trust enough?

I mostly trust my neighbors and I have a friend I trust within a five minute drive, but I'm not positive what I will need. Mostly I'm trying to figure this out so that we can put it in our planning spreadsheet.

I'm kind of overwhelmed by the kindness of people here!

[JoJo]

You could try posting on the Marketplace board of this forum. I wouldn't surprised if you found someone who would agree to look after a house for a few months. You might even find someone who would stay in your Memphis house while you're in NM and vice versa!

I'm in Tucson until late February but looking for a place for late winter/early spring if you do have a New Mexico place and want a trustworthy housesitter.

[skiersailor]

I remotely monitor a mountain house in a snowy area, and this is what I use:

-Monitored security, fire and CO alarm with web interface to arm/disarm remotely
-Whole house water leak detector with automatic shutoff (FloLogic)
-Web enabled video cameras pointed at driveway, inside garage, boiler control panel (to confirm it's working), exterior roof (to monitor snow load) (Logi Circle)
-Web enabled thermometers inside and outside house with push notifications (Eve and First Alert)
-Web enabled door locks with multiple codes, remote locking/unlocking and push notifications (Kwikset)
-Web enabled garage door openers for remote opening/closing with push notifications (Chamberlain)
-Web enabled and programmable light switches (iDevices)
-Web enabled outlets for critical components so I can reboot them if they go offline (iDevices)
-Web Enabled landscaping sprinkler controller (Rain Bird)
-A power outlet for the modem and router that automatically cycles off and on every day (NetReset)

I can lock and unlock doors for service providers remotely if it's just a one-time service.  If the power goes out, the alarm and leak detector have battery backups but everything else will go offline.  The other single point of failure is the modem/router, which is why I have it set up to reboot every night (the outlet uses an internal timer and is not dependent on remote access).  If everything is offline for an extended period of time, my failsafe is that I have pre-programmed codes into the door locks that I can give to service providers to enter just the garage or the garage and house.  I give door lock codes to vendors, but not the alarm code.  Instead, I disarm the alarm myself remotely prior to the service visits.

Think ahead about compatibility between devices before you start buying them.  I have standardized on Apple HomeKit devices, but there are other options and every manufacturer also has their own monitoring app.

[the_fixer]

We are planning to travel a bunch when we RE and my thought was to get a roommate so someone is around but we still have unlimited access when we need it.

Or maybe a someone that is looking to house hack by house sitting / care taking.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Fishindude]

We have three houses and I frankly don't worry too much about this stuff.   No amount of locks or security systems will keep a committed thief out, so we just do the basics; good locks, leave some lights on a timer, and buy some good insurance.   Your best security is really your neighbors.   Get to know them, tell them when you'll be gone, etc. and ask them to keep an eye on things or call you if anything looks suspicious.

Fancy security systems and cameras are a pain in the rear.   Can't tell you how many times I got woke up and had to drive into our business when the alarm went off in the middle of the night.   It was always a false alarm and wasted both my time and the cops.