Second Homes and How to Maintain them!

If you are thinking of buying a second home but are concerned with how you would maintain and watch over it during the months you would not be in residence let me set your mind at ease.  

We have many gated communities, some are guard gated and some of these guard gated communities have 24 hour security.  Nearly every community have home watchers available for a minimal cost per month depending on the degree of service you would want.  

Home watchers oversee many aspects of your home.  They usually charge from $50-$100 per month and visits can be bi-weekly or weekly.  Some of the services they provide are as follows:  

1. Turn on all faucets, run dishwasher for a 10 minute rinse, run the garbage disposal, flush toilets
2. Check the thermostat and verify that the air-conditioning (or furnace) is working
3. Check interior bulbs and replace if needed
4. Check refrigerator and ice maker
5. Fill water buckets as needed (some homeowners leave plastic garbage cans in their homes filled with water to keep the moisture level up)
6. Monitor service providers - check to see they are doing their job (i.e. pool, pest, landscaping)
7. Pick up any mail or junk mail/put any packages inside 

With the higher monthly charge they may include the following:

1. If there is a car they will start the car, check the tires and maybe drive it around the block
2. Check the golf cart tires, water and charge the battery monthly
3. Water any indoor plants
4. And some will even pick you up at the Airport when you arrive and make sure your thermostat is set at the perfect degree for your arrival!

Sometimes you might find a year-around neighbor (or your local real estate agent :) who will care for the very basic checks if you don’t want the full service of a home watcher.  We would recommend a minimum of the following checks:  #1, 2, 4, 6, and 7 above.  

There are gardeners who will look after your yards: mow, weed, blow off debrie & prune.  They can range anywhere from $80 to $150 per month depending on the yard and the extent of service needed.  (Larger than normal yards of course would be a higher monthly rate.)

Then for those who want a private pool there are pool services who will maintain the pool on a weekly basis for approximately $125 to $150 per month.

The other regular service we would advise is pest control.  There are several ways you can employ a pest control service; quarterly, bi-monthly, monthly or you can customize your service.  The service charges vary from company to company and depend upon your frequency of use.  As an example, a custom service could be bi-monthly from September through May and every month during the summer at approximately $32 per month of service.  We would recommend periodic spraying.  It keeps the bugs at bay and diminishes the chances of infestation.

However, we would always encourage checking references with any and all workers so you know who you are working with, especially a home watcher.  You can find references from neighbors, year-around residents, local homeowner associations, and your real estate agent.  

I hope this helps you in your pursuit of considering that second home and helps you understand life in the Desert a little more clearly!