Family member is leaving the country for 6-8 months. Trying to decide how best to care for their huge house. House-sitter is probably out of the question because it's in an inconvenient place and no one wants to live that far out as a house sitter.
All mail will be forwarded to my house and I'll shred, pay, or toss.
All plants will be given away before their departure.
I'm willing to go over once every two weeks, check all sinks and showers for leaks, flush all toilets to keep stains away, change some things around to make the house look lived in, etc.
What else would you recommend to look after their house?
Water -- turn off or keep on? (just at the house' water main)
Heat -- turn down to what temp? They have a Nest so can be controlled remotely.
Security -- They have a monitored home alarm system. They're also getting a three pack of Nest Cams. Possibly one outdoor Nest Cam. (I think the cameras are to check to make sure all family members are doing what they agree to, and that one in particular isn't throwing parties in the house).
Lighting -- outdoor lighting is on timer. I'm also giving them a few mechanical timers for lights.
I also have a "Fake TV" that I think is awesome, but I'd be devastated if it caught fire and burned their house down, so I haven't offered it to them. Plus, they don't really like my ideas about security.
https://www.amazon.com/Hydreon-Corporation-FTV-10-US-Burglar-Deterrent/dp/B003S5SOLG/ref=pd_sim_421_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=FAB8KK1MMBS6FP31B3HTCars -- keeping one at my mom's and asking her to drive it occasionally. The other car, I have said I will swap out with mine every two weeks just to keep it moving, but I really don't want to do this if I don't have to. I don't mind starting it up when I go to their house every two weeks, or even taking it for a 5-10 minute drive while I'm there. But it's a much more expensive car than mine, and much more fancy and I just don't feel comfortable driving it (I don't like to use things that I can't afford to replace if I break/crash).
Any other ideas?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!