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Viewing Is it Wise to Travel when your House is Empty? Never!Is it Wise to Travel when your House is Empty? Never!
By Kathy Steinemann
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Did you know that potential break-in artists could be waiting to burglarize your home while you are on holidays? And who is going to mow the lawn while you're away? Who will watch for fires or leaks in the hot-water heating system? An empty house can be a recipe for disaster! Did you know that potential break-in artists could be waiting to burglarize your home while you are on holidays? And who is going to mow the lawn while you're away? Who will watch for fires or leaks in the hot-water heating system? An empty house can be a recipe for disaster! Career criminals will be on the alert for things like: Crafty criminals will often ring the doorbell themselves before attempting a break-in. If you are at home, they will have a reasonable story like: 'I am conducting a survey of homeowners in the area to see if they are happy with the local school system.' No thief wants to be caught, and no burglar will want to put more effort than necessary into a robbery. Criminals are by necessity suspicious (and lazy as well). Anything you can do to make your house more challenging is likely to deter them. A good security system is a commendable first step. But is a security system enough? Maybe you should investigate hiring a housesitter. A housesitter can help prevent break-ins, and can also monitor for fires, roof leaks, and other potential home emergencies. The Internet is full of helpful sites. An Internet search for keywords and phrases similar to the following will help you to locate a good sitter: At the end of this article is a link to a page containing several search engines. As a homeowner, you can usually post a free ad in a housesitter directory. Many sites will have an auto e-mail service that notifies you whenever a new housesitter registers in your community. Housesitting services may include: Homesitters come from various walks of life - and ages may vary from late teens/early twenties to ?? Typical sitters might be: In recompense for their services, a home sitter will receive free rent and (usually) an additional fee. Sitters are normally responsible for their own food and telephone calls. It is important that all arrangements are in writing. Some of the important points you should include in your written contract include: If you are working with a professional housesitting service, be sure that it does appropriate security checks on its employees. If you are hiring a private sitter, ask local law enforcement authorities what is needed for you to perform your own background investigations. This article is just a short primer on the subject of homesitting. Be sure to spend sufficient time doing individual research long before your holidays. . . . And Happy Travels! (c) Copyright Kathy Steinemann: This article is free to publish only if this copyright notice, the byline, and the author's note below (with active links) are included. About the Author: Try these search engines to help with your research. And don't forget to visit 111 Travel Directory for lodging and travel resources. Need some travel tips? 1000Tips4Trips has over 1000 tips submitted by fellow travel enthusiasts. Article Source: 1st Rate Articles - http://1stRateArticles.com |
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