Seven Sins Charlotte Vacationers Make!

Seven Sins Charlotte Vacationers Make!

Whenever you take a vacation and leave your Charlotte home empty, you probably do a “final walk through” and make sure that no one left a hot curling iron plugged in, the air conditioner is set at an economical temperature, and the perishables have been thrown out of the refrigerator.

The list below offers hints on what else you might need to add to that check list of things to do before you leave your Charlotte home for vacation.

1. Don’t forget the pool! If you’re going to be away for more than a week, and you have an inground swimming pool, leave a hose dripping into it at a slow trickle while you’re gone. We’ve had some extremely hot weather in Charlotte lately; pool water evaporates at a pretty quick pace, and you don’t want your pool’s level to get so low that it burns out your pump.
2. Don’t neglect the marine vehicles! If you are fortunate enough to own Lake Norman waterfront real estate, Lake Wylie, or the other watery spots around Charlotte, and you have a boat or other water crafts, be sure a friend knows to check on these things for you in the event of a severe storm. You don’t want to learn once you get home that your wave runner floated away and has not been recovered, or that your boat has a hole in the bottom because it sailed up on a piling in high winds.
3. Don’t be overly confident! Most golf community homes in Charlotte are relatively secure in keeping criminal elements out. However, any neighborhood that gets traffic through it on a regular basis tempts the desperate and crooked. Make sure your  neighbors know to keep an eye on your Charlotte home. If you have a security patrol, tell them you’ll be gone.
4. Don’t forget the alarm! If you have a home alarm system, use it! Let the alarm company know you’re out of town until a specific date and that either a trusted friend will be stopping by to water plants, or that no one should be in the home at all. If the alarm goes off and someone is in the home, the alarm company will know how to deal with the situation if you have properly prepared them. Oh and it will cost  you if you have to many false alarms in your Charlotte home.
5. Don’t invite the crooks in! Leaving a key ANYWHERE outside is trouble! Crooks know that you stash them in planters, grills, workshop drawers, pool houses, dog houses, etc. If your friend is going to the back patio first and then going to the front door to unlock it; the crook knows a key is hidden somewhere on the back patio.
6. Don’t show crooks what you have! Pull curtains shut enough that a few lights can be seen through them at night in your Charlotte home, but don’t leave windows completely exposed and wide open. A criminal is taking inventory and drawing a schematic layout of your home if you do.
7. Use timers on lamps and radios to create the illusion of activity! Your house doesn’t have to look empty just because it is! Have timers set on lamps to turn them on at staggered times and set timers on radios in different rooms of the house set to talk stations. Your Charlotte home can look and sound as if it is inhabited while you’re gone!

Have a great time on vacation, but protect your investment! Living in Charlotte is good enough that after a vacation, you’ll be glad to come home. Contact us if you need us to recommend services.