Season Change Notice to All Clients
Greetings from the Valei Team and thank you for another great winter season. We appreciate your business and the opportunity to be of service to you all.
Now that the hotter summer months are here and we are into the triple digits for the next few months we wanted to share some of the things that everyone should be doing to ensure your homes are well kept and cared for until the fall when things will get cooler. Those of us who have lived in the desert for years know this stuff like the back of our hands and while there is a ton of info on the internet etc. we thought we would share regardless to ensure you all had this.
Here is a short list of some of the things for your honeydew lists. If Valei can assist you please don’t hesitate to contact us today to set things up for you OR:
Let us do the work — with Home Watch Service!
- Remove chairs, furniture and decor from patio or yard. Anything that’s cloth, plastic or wood will be damaged by the summer heat if you leave it outside.
- Replace back-up batteries in fire alarms, automatic watering systems, thermostats, security systems.
- If you will be turning the refrigerator off while you are gone, empty it. Leave the doors open while you are gone for circulation. Same with your washing machine, dryer and dishwashers. Open the doors to the washer and dryer, the dishwasher, and any other appliance that typically seals up. Put a few spoonfuls of vegetable oil in the dishwasher and in the garbage disposal so the seals don’t disintegrate in the heat.
- If you have a soft water system or reverse osmosis water system, determine if any action is necessary on your part before leaving.
- If you are leaving a car in the garage, disconnect the battery. You might even want to cover the vehicle to protect it from dust.
- If you have a golf cart, put water in the battery.
- Remove propane tanks and combustible/flammable chemicals from the garage.
- Set your irrigation timer appropriately for summer heat so all your shrubs and trees aren’t dead when you return.
- Even though you aren’t in the house, and whether you water the yard or not, there will be weeds. Consider a yard care service that will take care of the weeds, do some trimming, mow the lawn if you have one and check for irrigation system problems while you are gone.
- Make sure it is a company that you know and trust — obviously the workers will know that you aren’t living in the home. Valei can help you find the right landscaping team.
- If you have a pool, arrange for a pool service to handle the maintenance while you are away.
- Arrange for exterior pest control while you are gone.
- Got houseplants? They probably won’t be alive when you return, so either lend them to a neighbor or take them up north with you!
- Provide a key to the house and any external gates, as well as your contact information, to a neighbor or relative who lives nearby. Valei also has a very popular weekly inspection program that everyone should consider. We have special pricing right now on this service. Call us today if you want to learn more.
- Unplug the appliances, entertainment units, computers — everything. The lightning from our summer monsoon storms can wreak havoc with electrical equipment.
Leave large buckets or tubs of water in each room for moisture. - Turn off the air conditioner, or set the thermostat if you’ll be leaving the A/C on. How to decide? Some people turn off the A/C totally. Some leave it on but at a high temperature, like 90 or 95. Your decision here has to to with the items being left in the house. Is there artwork that you don’t want to dry out in the heat? Does your security system only work at a particular temperature? Do you leave your wine collection in the house?
- If you have natural gas, turn off the gas at the main valve.
- Flush all toilets and run all faucets.
- Leave all the interior doors open so the air can circulate inside the house.
- Close all the blinds and drapes to keep as much heat out of the house as possible.
- Have candles? Store them in the refrigerator (if you are leaving it on) or put them in the coolest, darkest part of the house.
- Unplug the garage door opener.
- Turn the water heater off or place in vacation mode.
- Get your AC units tuned and checked. So important. Be sure to have all the filters changed. This often gets overlooked and we know from experience that not handling this key task ultimately can lead to a lot of problems going forward. We recommend having your units checked at least every quarter to be sure these are functioning correctly.
- Arrange for your mail and regular deliveries to be stopped or forwarded. I’d do this at least 14 days before the effective date.
- Notify your telephone, Internet service provider or satellite TV provider to put your service on hold. If you have a landline now would be the time to forward all calls to a number that you can be reached at.
- Notify any newspapers when you will stop delivery and when to resume.
- If you live in an area with an HOA, notify them of your departure date and when you’ll be back.
- Coordinate emptying of refrigerator with trash and recycling pickup.
- Start trimming trees and bushes in the yard so you can have that trash picked up before you leave.
- Do not drain your hot tub. The heat will damage it. Turn off the heating system for the water, but leave the filtering system on.
- Remove any standing water (kiddie pools, buckets, bird baths, etc.) from the yard. If you have a fountain, either empty it and turn it off or leave the water circulating to avoid mosquito problems.
- Ask a neighbor to check every couple of days to remove any fliers, phone books, packages or other items that may be tossed into your driveway or left by your front door. Valei can help with this also.
Valei home watch weekly inspection program is very popular and ensures that all areas of your home are checked following a tailored checklist we create for you and your home. Contact Valei today and please be sure to follow us on our social media to learn more.
To learn more and if we can assist you, please feel free to contact Valei Ph: (888) 406-7492 or Email: info@valeihome.com
Please feel free to Like / Follow us also on Social Media: Valei Residential and Valei Events to learn more about Valei.
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