Many thanks for the useful advise. Did check with my home insurer and no problem leaving it vacant for months. Also, did find the idea of a webcam to monitor the house very interesting. I'll have to research that.
From: "DK" Subject: Re: Sec>This is kinda home repair related.
>
>
>I'm retiring soon and my wife and I are thinking about becoming snowbirds >in
>Nevada to escape these dreadful Wisconsin winters.
>
>I've given a lot of thought to owning two homes and the details that need >to
>be taken care of such as snow plowing, shoveling, mail, junk mail, >security,
>plant watering, trusted neighbor, furnace failure/freeze alert etc.On the
>other hand, I have no experience on what it takes to close up a desert
>property for the summer.
>
>Just wondering if anyone has practical experience with the snowbird thing?
>Thoughts about both, the cold weather and warm weather aspects?
>
>
>
>I know when we owned a lake cottage in northern Wisconsin, every tool I >ever
>needed was always at the other house! Didn't matter what it was, or which
>house we were at, it was always at the other house! That was just 150 >miles
>away, now we're contemplating 1,000 miles for 6 months at a time. >
>
>
>Any thoughts or experiences, negative or positive will be appreciated! >
>Thanks all,
Sounds fun.
Find a couple of neighbors or three that will do chores for you and pick the best one and reward him/her handsomely for their caretaker duties.
In addition, I'd install a web cam so I could watch the place 24/7 from the 'other' place.