A lot of excitement comes along with going on vacation. You’ll probably want to shop for new clothes to take on the trip, and of course, you’ll want to research the fun attractions you’re going to visit. With so much going on, it can be easy to overlook the most important thing you need to do — prepare your home for the number of days you’re going to be gone. Let’s take a quick look at the top three tips everyone should use to prepare their home before leaving on an extended vacation.
Make It Look Like Someone Is Home
Burglars tend to target homes that look vacant, so you’ll definitely want to have a car parked in the driveway while you’re gone. It’s also recommended to have a trustworthy neighbor collect your mail and any newspapers or flyers on your property on a daily basis. Keeping the lights on is another way to make it look like someone is home. If you’re concerned about the electric bill, skip down to the home automation section of this article and learn how smart technology can save you money and still make it look like someone is home.
Prep the House
Plugged-in appliances use electricity even when you’re not actually using them, which adds to your electricity bill. Since you won’t be home for an extended amount of time, though, you can unplug these appliances to save energy. This includes the washer and dryer, water heater, and all electronic devices like computers and TVs. You’ll also need to turn off the water valves; this is especially recommended if you’re traveling during the colder months of the year. You’ll need to shut off water valves and drain any water in the pipes to prevent them from freezing and busting.
Automate Utilities With Smart Technology
One of the neatest things about today’s smart technology is that you can use it to control your utilities while you’re on vacation. Whether it be the lights in the living room and kitchen or the exterior landscape lighting, you can control the lights to make it look like you’re home even when you’re not. And since the lights won’t be on all day or night, you’ll be able to save money on your electric bill while still using the lights as a way to deter burglars.
You’ll also want to make sure you have preventative maintenance performed on your HVAC system and then set it to a maintenance degree that keeps your heating and cooling bill to a minimum. If you want to change the temperature while you’re gone, you can always use smart technology to remotely access the thermostat. You can easily keep the house at a warm 80 degrees while you’re gone and then use your smartphone to up the temperature back down to a comfortable 72 degrees on the day you get home.
Going on a vacation is only going to fun if you return to your home in the same condition that you left it. All of the tips mentioned above are great starting points for prepping your home for an extended vacation.
