[CFrance]

Just remember, things go wrong in condos too! Last year was our turning point for becoming frogs. Over the winter the fridge in the condo broke, the roof leaked, ruining a bathroom ceiling, the water heater burst, a double-pane window failed. All of these things were financially on us. The year before, the furnace broke two days before we took off for TV. Had it been a couple of days later, it could have been disastrous.

It's tough leaving a domicile empty for so long, especially over the winter. There are no home watch people in Muskegon, MI, and our son lives over an hour away and is swamped at work. We had a friend who stopped in once a week, except when she was gone for six weeks. That place was a constant worry to me over the winter.