Advice needed - buying house and not moving in for 8 months
 

I am looking for any advice you can offer. We are closing on a house in 3 weeks but will not move in until October. We are going to arrange for lawn and pest service etc. but need advice on home watch/security. Can you recommend someone? Should we have an alarm system put in? I am going to consult a pool company for advice on the pool but if you can think of anything I may be missing, I would appreciate your thoughts.

If you are going to maint internet services............you might consider cheap Wyze cameras and consider smart thermostat(s).

We still use both after we moved here fulltime.

There are plenty of good housewatch people......jus wait for suggestions for your area.

Have you considered renting out in the interim? Demand is high. There are property managers that will take care of it.

Add irrigation maintenance and A WIFI irrigation controller.

My opinion is not to rent if you don’t have to, keep your house new and unused. We have owned for 4 years but only get down 4-5 weeks a year. Have never used a house watch or anything. Our neighbors are great and we have friends that have a key.

Each time we leave we shut off the water and water heater, turn AC to about 80 and cover the sink drains, shower drains with tape and the toilets we add bleach and cover with plastic wrap. This helps keep water in the traps and bugs from entering through the pipes.

what model house designer, courtyard ,villa? new or preowned ? Massey and Deans can do your pest inside and out and mow your lawn as well as weed the flower beds. If you are not going to be here for 8 months I would consider a home watch. The villages has a home watch service that can check inside and/or outside weekly, you realtor can get you intouch. If you want to rent it out for long term 6-8 months you can rent it unfurnished through the villages also What will make you more comfortable????

We are buying a Premier and will be having work done before we move in. Frankly, I would consider charging rent to a “care taker” (based on incremental utilities) to live in the house, watch over things and let contractors in and out, accept packages etc. it would be a great short term deal (house has a pool and a spa ).

People are great around here, I would ask the realtor to find out the name and number of the neighbors on both side or across the street and give them a call and explain your situation and ask if they would just keep an eye on the place. I use ADT for my security system and there are many companies that will mow your lawn.

The villages has a service called Empty Nest. Call them, they are very reasonable and do an excellent job of watching and maintaining your home.

Your new house (if it’s new) will come with smart thermostats. You will want to download the app and become familiar with its usage.

If you can have internet installed, I would suggest you put in a wifi smart thermostat so you check online how your AC/heat system is working during your absence. Some inside and outside wifi security cameras would also give you the opportunity to see how things are in and around your property, especially during and after big storms.
Congrats on your purchase!

I was in the same position three years ago. I was supposed to close the last day of March, but Covid hit and shut down the country, so I had to do it long distance. I didn’t move here until November. That was the first time I saw The Villages.

The best approach is to simply continue the service the previous owners used. Then, when you get here, if you aren’t happy, you can try to find another one. In my case, however, the previous owner did his own yard work and cleaned the pool himself. But his next door neighbor’s yard and pool looked nice, and she had people who did them. The previous owner got me the name and phone number of the neighbor, and she got me names and numbers of her service providers. I contacted them, and they were happy to add me to their list of customers. My mowers do about half a dozen yards surrounding mine at the same time now. The man who cleans the pool also cleans the neighbor’s pool. Nice for all of us.

As for home watch/security, it’s not necessary. Ask your agent though at closing and make sure the faucets are turned off, AC set at 78° 24/7, etc. That’s plenty. You definitely don’t need an alarm system. After all, your house is empty. Even when you are here, crimes against people and property here are so exceedingly rare that it’s a waste of time. Alarm systems are just peace of mind for people who are far too anxious, not because there is an actual need.

It's a Premier house, so it is not new. They don't build them anymore.

Do not hire DEANS as they stop doing lawn service when you head north - like they did to me - hire a HOME WATCH company to check on your home while you’re gone. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED ABOUT DEANS!!!

Security
 

Definitely some kind of security. You don't want to end up with some unfortunate homeless people squatting in your home. Put in some lights with timers, program your thermostat so you can monitor it from home. Manually lock the garage doors from the inside and put security bars on the sliding doors, their locks are not very secure

Make sure you go through your new house and alerting warranty of all issues (mainly cosmetic). I think they are only giving 7 days to report these. Schedule a home inspection to be completed prior to your 1 year anniversary. If you're not living in the house, these things won't be realized until you start using the place.

It's not a new house, unless they have resumed building Premier houses.

I would ask your realtor for a home watch person. Often they are paired with a person who watches properties as a side business. When we first bought here, we had one until we moved down full time 4 years later. She would check our property as often as we wanted. Told us when our irrigation system wasn’t working properly, let in an electrician when we needed one, checked the refrigerator, etc.

I would be concerned mostly about the pool staying clean & the irrigation system, as sprinklers can get damaged by the lawn crew. Neighbors are usually great but I would not depend on them.

Congrats on new home. Sounds lovely

I would hire a home watch or property management company that can check the inside and outside of home and address any issues that may arise. I would not rely on neighbors for 8 months.

We use Villagers Home Watch when we are back North, and they are great! We have used them since we bought our place in TV eight years ago. You can reach them at 518-423-9966.

Welcome to TV!

You didn’t mention the area. That could make a difference if anyone can help. I would offer to help but I’m not sure of your area. We do custom closets on the side. We live in The Village of Monarch Grove. Cameras and Ring doorbell is very handy and easy to use. Most homes have all the smart appliances and easy to maintain. Whatever your route when you move here Good luck with your new home. Enjoy we love The Villages. Our best move yet.

Actually, Dean's services will depend on which county you're in... we were absentee owners for the first year, hired them on the advice of someone who lived in Marion County but in Sumter County they did NOT mow (which we found out when our renter started complaining)...

Question: if you turn off the water, how does your lawn get watered? We were advised to definitely NOT turn off the water...

If you have a separate irrigation system, definitely turn off the water to the house. I would not rent as you want free access to the house for any work you want done. What if you rent and they do not want to leave or do damage to your home? Who would rent your house for only a few months, especially during the summer? House watchers work for a while and then fizzle out. I went through about three of them. I live here full time now so do not need them. I have used Deans for several years and have not had a problem. They are a big organization so they will not take a powder on you.

interior water is potable, irrigation water is reclaimed. Separate systems.

Not true. I use Deans and I can see them every time they show up to do my lawn (I hve a video doorbell and a garage mounted security camera that can see the front yard). They bill me exactly for what they do...

Have squatters ever taken over a home in TV?

Serious question as I've never heard of it happening...

In MOST areas. In some of the older areas, there is only ONE water source...

I checked on property managers, they were a joke. They make all the money and I'd be lucky to break even. We rent it ourselves, been doing it now for 10 years.

You have a potable and non-potable water source. Potable water should be turned off in long periods of absence, and the non-potable (used for watering lawns) is controlled by a timer in the garage, which is usually set to water at specific times and days.

I put security cameras in and get alerts via an app. Worked fine

Personally I would stay away from the Villages Empty Nest service. We had them watch our house last summer and they did absolutely nothing they said they would do.

They said visit every 7 to 10 days. Twice is was 15 and 16 days. I called and they told me they strive for 7 to 10 days. They said we would receive an email after every visit and then when we weren't getting any they said only once a month. They said they would check the sprinkler system and that was never done. They said they would flush every toilet but one the water was brown like they never walked in that bathroom.

My neighbor across the street told me he has seen the visit and never in the house more than 3 minutes. He actually made me a video of one of the visits and they were in and out in less than 2 minutes. Never walked around the house. All this for $105 a month!

Home watch
 

We did a similar thing as you, but we did come to our home for a few weeks to figure out all of these things. A good home watch service will give you a list of what to do when you leave. You need to put damp rid in your closets, open all doors, turn on fans, etc. They will turn on your water every visit to flush your toilets. We used Randall Kauffman at 810-479-6363 but we are way down south of 44 and I don’t know if he works everywhere in TV. We also hired lawn service, bug service (in and out). We met our neighbors who also said they’d keep an eye on things. After the first year we no longer needed the home watch service because our neighbors do it, but it was nice while I had it. Good luck!