House sitting for summer travel
 

I am new The Villages and am looking for a house sitting service for my home for part of the summer. I would really appreciate any recommendations for other experience.

Are you really looking for a House Sitter (i.e. someone who lives in your home while you are away) or are you looking for a Home Watch Service that comes in every week or two to make sure everything is OK?

We use a Home Watch Service and during each visit he turns the water back on and flushes the toilets and runs water into each of the sink traps, plus he runs our golf cart up and down the street to keep it in good working order. He has replaced light bulbs that have died, taken things off our porch, and met contractors who may need to do something on our property. He even waters our plants that are in pots on the screen lanai. He then sends me an email after each visit telling me if there are any things that I might need to address (e.g. landscapers not mowing or trimming bushes).

If you are actually looking for a Home Watch Service, I use Dean Corbett. His phone number is (352) 551-0576 and tell him "Maywood Court" recommended him.

I really don't care for the doomsday predictions people make here on the forum, that said let me share this:

I had a rental, designer home and a home watch service that is widely praised on the forum for nearly four years. The home is also smart, sensors, monitors and locks. I was promised weekly checks which usually happened monthly. During one summer run two months passed with no checks followed by photos of the exterior on the third. That seemed odd usually I received interior photos when they came. The sensors indicated they haven't even entered the home.

In the case of a rental home watch is useful to have for renter issues but not so for home checks.

For my last home which was not rented, I skipped the home watch.

Yes it meant I shut off the potable water, saran wrapped the toilets and so on.

If my experience is representative you don't need home watch at all.

Why saran wrap the toilets?

I'd never engage a house sitter...

we've hired a fellow in TV to check on our home a couple of times a week when we've been away...Don Nagel, reasonable and he will have your back 352.630.9509

when we had a home in Ft Lauderdale a neighbor would check on the house a couple of times a week and let us know if anything was out of whack and would represent us with a vendor if needed

When you leave you turn the temp up. In a hotter home the toilet water can evaporate. Far less evaporation with saran wrap.

I turn off the water heater, change temp to 82, shutoff the potable water, empty the ice bin, prop open the fridge.

I can change the irrigation by the web.

Yes …. pore some bleach in the tank and toilet, and cover with saran wrap to keep insects from using it as a source of water. Same with sinks except you use the standard drain plug.

DO NOT pour bleach in the tank of the toilet . The bleach will dissolve the seals inside the valves and flush tube.

Why would you saran wrap the toilets?

Frogs

:agree:

What if the air conditioner fails for some reason?

Dehumidifier
 

Good question. I have a place outside of Atlanta (Alpharetta) and we come down every other month for 10 days or so and the summer for 6 weeks. My wife is still teaching up here. I have a dehumidifier in my Villa just in case. I put it at 50% humidity. So, if the a/c quits at least the humidity will not skyrocket.

There is a Lady named Dee Parsons who does it but I don't have acuurnt phone number. Gracie Girl might have it,'

I put bleach in the toilet, (not the back tank) & cover with saran wrap to prevent any nasty ring that might appear.