Home Check?

[Dick52]

Trying to find a caretaker for the Long Island area who is reasonable, honest, and RELIABLE. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

[thinkxingu]

For when? Winter months, weeks you're away?

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[burgerunh]

Is this a year round live-in position? Is a boat slip included? Asking for a friend

[Dick52]

I need someone to check the house weekly during the winter and respond to any issues as they come up, such as no heat.

[Major]

You may want to consider employing technology. The issue with a once a week check-in is that a serious problem can fester for nearly a week. Back in the day (about 10-12 years ago) I conducted weekly check-ins on my neighbor's home. During one check-in, I found the basement flooded with about a foot of water. The furnace had shut off, but thankfully the pipes did not freeze.

You can update your thermostats so that heat is controlled by your phone. This is the best way to make sure you have heat. Also, you can employ cameras in the basement or anywhere else to detect water leakage. These approaches are much more reliable and provide immediate feedback.

[WinnisquamZ]

The issue I see is that many of these homes and individuals shut down there internet services which eliminates and monitors. Cameras both inside and outside with year round internet should do the trick


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[Descant]

So your sensor tells you it's cold. Will it call the plumber, HVAC, electrician or just the fuel delivery company? Do you have all of these people familiar with the house/systems so you can call? Do they all have a key? A caretaker should have these skills or contacts and know which one to call and give access. Long winter absence? Drain the pipes; have your guy re-start the heat a few days before your return.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by Major

You may want to consider employing technology. The issue with a once a week check-in is that a serious problem can fester for nearly a week. Back in the day (about 10-12 years ago) I conducted weekly check-ins on my neighbor's home. During one check-in, I found the basement flooded with about a foot of water. The furnace had shut off, but thankfully the pipes did not freeze.

You can update your thermostats so that heat is controlled by your phone. This is the best way to make sure you have heat. Also, you can employ cameras in the basement or anywhere else to detect water leakage. These approaches are much more reliable and provide immediate feedback.

They are only as reliable as your electricity. If you're in an area that loses electricity often and you don't have back up, then your electronics are useless. Last season I lost electricity for a whole week. Luckily it wasn't during a cold snap, so nothing froze.
If you're gone for the winter, the best thing to do is shut it down and winterize. Even if you have someone checking it, it can freeze up pretty quickly in a cold snap. It's happened to me at two homes in the past where I was checking on them once a week.

[WinnisquamZ]

Originally Posted by Biggd

They are only as reliable as your electricity. If you're in an area that loses electricity often and you don't have back up, then your electronics are useless. Last season I lost electricity for a whole week. Luckily it wasn't during a cold snap, so nothing froze.
If you're gone for the winter, the best thing to do is shut it down and winterize. Even if you have someone checking it, it can freeze up pretty quickly in a cold snap. It's happened to me at two homes in the past where I was checking on them once a week.

All true. If there is no power what would you want the caretaker to due? We all lose power up in the lakes region. If one steps away for the winter your home must be protected and systems adjusted accordingly. If water cannot be drained and home sealed for the winter months then that’s should be your focus. Not a security system and watchdog


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[DougNH]

Just installed a Moen FLo with 6 remote sensors. I also have it plugged into a UPS battery backup ($60 on amazon). The application is nice as I can see if any thing is runnig, water usage, pressure, ... You can also shut off remotely or it will do it thru the sensors or if it thinks there is an issue. I have not tried this but if your router stays up (ups backup) even if your internet is down the sensors should still trigger using the internal network.

https://www.amazon.com/Moen-900-001-...115067152&th=1

[camp guy]

If there were a simple answer to this post, there would have been one answer, and the post would be over. But life isn't that simple. In reality, this post isn't any of my business because I live year-round in my local residence. I do know some house check people, and it seems to me that there is no simple answer, even when you ask "the pros". My guess is that a mixture of methods is the best answer. Nothing beats a real live human taking a walk around (inside and out) a residence while the owner is not present. Sure, electronics can provide a lot of monitoring within and without a home, and there are monitors for virtually everything, but nothing beats the human walk-around. It is not my intention to spend all of somebody's hard-earned money on gadgets and widgets, but I would hate to see somebody trick their house out in the latest and greatest monitors only to return someday to find damage caused by a broken window which let in water during a rainstorm which then froze due to a cold snap in early November. Okay, I get it, there are gadgets for that,too, but a real pair of eyes is so much better.

[upthesaukee]

Back in the day, before my folks moved to Alton full time, they had a red light hanging in the front window that would turn on at 40 degrees. Our neighbors would call my folks to let them know the power was out. Several of them had a key (actually they all knew where the key was hanging) so they could get in and check things out. It was nice to have neighbors that took care of neighbors back then. Not so much anymore.

Dave