Five things you should do before you go out of town.
Heading out of town can be fun and exciting! I mean, who doesn’t like to get away from the grind for a while? Just make sure that you think about your home while you’re gone. Whether you’re leaving for a few days or a few weeks, your home is gong to need some attention while you’re away. Here are five things you should make sure you do before you pack up the car or print our your boarding pass:
- Have a neighbor collect your mail and check on the house. Make it look like someone’s still around. You don’t want your home to be a target for thieves.
- Turn off your main water supply. If a leak happens while you’re out of town, it could result in gallon upon gallons of waster water and money.
- Make sure all the lights are off and things are unplugged from wall outlets. Or, better yet, get a surge protector and a timer for your lights.
- Close curtains and lock windows. We all remember to lock the doors (or at least TRY to,) but have you give a thought to your windows? This is particularly important if you have ground floor windows.
- Turn your thermostat up! Although it could be tempting to turn your air conditioner off while you’re out of town, this is actually not a good idea for your comfort (when you get back), certain materials that may be in your home (like wood flooring) and your utility bills.