Ross and Witmer 
More than 90 million Americans will be traveling for the holidays this year and that means a substantial number of homes will be left without occupants. If you’re one of those intending to fly or drive out of town, be sure to make keeping your home safe while you’re traveling a priority.
While the major concern of most traveling homeowners these days is preventing a burglary, the possibilities of a weather disaster are also topmost in the minds of many. Following are some guidelines for ensuring your home stays safe, inside and out, while you’re enjoying your time away.
Secure Your Home
- Ask a neighbor to check your home – Ask a neighbor or a friend to stop by your house daily to make it look occupied. Have him or her open and close windows and blinds, bring in mail or mailers on the door or newspapers on the lawn, turn lights on and off if you don’t have timers. If your neighbor or friend has an extra car to park in your driveway, so much the better.
- Don’t broadcast on social media – Tempting as it may be to share your fun times on social media, thieves could be following your goings-on and break into your home.
- Put up a sign indicating you’re protected – If you have a home alarm, great. If not, put up a sign that says you do.
Protect Your Home’s Environment
- Get an HVAC maintenance checkup – Make sure your heating system is running right before you leave. You don’t want to come home to burst pipes and other disasters after the heating has conked out in a blizzard. An HVAC maintenance checkup ensures this won’t happen.
- Set the thermostat – Set the thermostat lower than when your home’s occupied, but not so low that pipes freeze.
- Heads up for an emergency – If you’re going to be hard to reach, give the person minding your home the name of your HVAC service company in case of an emergency.
To learn more about keeping your home safe while you’re traveling, give us a call at Ross & Witmer. We’ve been serving the Charlotte area since 1945.