Whenever things get themselves to a “new normal,” we are moving to India for a few years. My wife has taken a global role at her firm, which will be based in Bangalore for a few years. We will reside most of the year in India, but we’re going to keep our house here in the US. It’s largely paid off, and we intend to retire here.
We will likely have friends and relatives stay in the house periodically, so it will not be sitting completely empty for that time. I will likely be back for a few weeks at a time, a few times a year. We have a home automation system and a security system that will allow me to keep a loose eye on things remotely.
We also have a young man in the neighborhood who does a lot of painting and handyman work that we would hire as a “property manager;” essentially someone who can keep an eye on things, walk through the house periodically just to make sure everything looks good (and that the palmetto bugs haven’t moved in), effect small repairs, turn things on and off if we have visitors, etc. I’m starting to draw up a list of things that need to be done to put the house in good shape for being empty. If any of you have experience with this or suggestions, please chime in. I’ve never done this before.
So, for now, here are the things I’ve got on our list:
[ul]
[li]Turn off water heater and drain[/li][li]Shut off water to house[/li][li]Set lights on schedule to simulate occupancy[/li][li]Set thermostats to “energy-saving” temps, but turn a/c on for an hour or two every morning to keep humidity down.[/li][li]Figure out how to hold/redirect mail (maybe PO box that our handyman can collect from once a week or so?)[/li][li]Have handyman prep the house in case of oncoming tropical storm (bring in outside furniture, close shutters)[/li][li]Have handyman drive the car every couple of weeks[/li][/ul]
Any other suggestions for keeping the house in good shape while largely unoccupied? I’ll have future threads asking for advice about other things (finances, actually moving, living in a foreign country), but for now I’m focused on this topic.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Have a backup caretaker. So guy #1 knows he’s being checked on, and has someone to confer with, if any thing arises. And knows you’re NOT 100% reliant on only him! Stay in regular touch with both.
Also, photograph your house, inside and out, before you leave. Just for good measure, it can’t hurt.
With regards to your mail, there are services which do what you want. For example RV owners have exactly the same kinds of needs. One says: “We provide world class mail scanning solutions that allows individuals and small businesses to view their postal mail online anywhere in the world. We provide a real physical street address that is unique to you. When your mail arrives, we scan the outside of the envelope and then you tell us to scan the contents, forward the item, shred it, return it, or hold it.” Do a Google search, for example: https://www.google.com/search?&q=mail+scanning+forwarding+service&oq=mail+scanning+forwarding+service
Consider what you have in the way of valuable personal stuff. Word is going to get around the neighborhood that no one lives in the house no matter how good your light switching pattern is. So perhaps you should locate secure storage for the valuable stuff–jewelry in a bank safety deposit box, etc.
Exactly how often do you exact to come back to the U.S. and when do you plan to finally return? For example it may be more economic to simply sell your car and rent a car when you come back for visits–and you won’t have to worry about keeping it running.
I’ll check into the mail reception services. I hadn’t thought of RV owners being in the same boat, but you are right; that’s a pretty good analogue.
We had already thought about a safe deposit box for the few valuable things we might be concerned about. We live on a cul de sac and, frankly, don’t socialize a lot with our neighbors, so I honestly wonder how long we might be gone before they realized we were out of town. For various other reasons I won’t get into here, I don’t think our house is a particularly soft target. Between a few passive measures and our alarm system, I’m not overly worried about break-ins. Obviously it’s a concern, but it’s not super-high on my list.
My wife’s firm will pay for two visits to the US each year; I suspect I will do another 2-3 on our own dime. Plus, my wife will be traveling globally; I suspect she will have a few business trips stateside each year where she’ll be able to add on some time at our house.
As for the cars, they are both paid for, and I like them too much to sell them just for convenience.
Random thought #1: check your homeowners insurance,.Does it cover an empty house?
Random thought #2: shutting off the water is probably a good idea. But when you turn it back on,the water may be full of rust and gunk. If you’re going to have somebody use the house for a day or two after months of non-use…turn the water on the day before they arrive, and let ALL the faucets in house flow a full volume for 10 minutes till you see clear water. Flush all the toilets several times,too.
Have the handyman check for rodent or insect infestation and set traps accordingly. Even without food in the house, it can become a problem.
Pour a little oil in each of your drains to keep the P-traps from drying out and allowing sewer gas to come into the house. If someone is going to stay in the house periodically, this may not be necessary. The handyman should periodically check for odors, however.
For mail, I used these guys for the five years I was in China. I can recommend whole-heartedly.
Don’t forget to tell you insurance company the house is empty (but not unoccupied). In my case the surcharge was negligible, but you want to be covered, because they have more exposure when someone there can turn off a water leak versus never finding it.
For the cars, I sold one, and kept the other in the garage. Add some fuel conditioner, disconnect the battery, and you’ll probably be okay, assuming you have a home leave allowance that you’ll be enjoying, giving you a chance to run it once or twice a year. In addition to my time in China, I’ve done this for two years in Germany, and several times for a year in Mexico.
Is your company going to equalize your taxes? They should. Assuming they’re covering your housing, car, and driver (they are giving you a driver, right???), these are all taxable. You’ll really want tax equalization, and taking the foreign income exclusion is worse financially than paying the redundant taxes. Pay your hypothetical, collect your per diems and hardship tax equalized, and be happy with it.
Leaving a usable house sit empty is wrong! Both financially & morally.
Financially, because you are letting an asset sit unused when it could be earning money. Either as a short-term rental (Air BnB type), or longer-term monthly lease. (And the income from that could easily pay for a hotel for the short times you or your wife will be back in Miami.) Plus the asset will be deteriorating from disuse, and expenses will continue. You will still be paying taxes, insurance, & utilities on this house while it sits empty. Plus paying a person to check on it, and do required maintenance.
Morally wrong, because the idea of you squatting on an empty house, when there are so many homeless people in this country, is, IMO, quite questionable morally. I can’t understand that at all.
Running an AirBnB can become a hassle; being a landlord, especially overseas, even more so. It can dramatically increase your chances of property damage, for starters.
People aren’t homeless because there aren’t inhabitable structures standing; they’re homeless due to finances (either personal, or the local housing market) and in particular a severe lack of affordable housing.
The house won’t be empty; the O.P. already plans for friends or family to periodically house-sit and stay there.
O.P will the local guy handle lawn mowing, too? Do you have hedges that will get ragged without trimming, or lots of leaves that’ll need to be raked?
I’m assuming you do not live in an HOA; if you do, better check those rules carefully.
How is leaving it empty morally different than renting the house out via AirBnB, which you suggested as a course of action? How does AirBnB help address the homelessness problem in the United States? How can you understand (you actually recommended it) someone renting out their house as an AirBnB, but you can’t understand someone just leaving it unoccupied?
Thanks - these are the kinds of things I might not have thought about.
Definitely will be keeping an eye out for critters. Insects are more of a problem down here than mammals, but it’s for sure one of the things I’m concerned about.
Good tip re: P-traps. Thanks.
Thanks for the recommendation on the mail service. I’ll check them out.
Yes, the firm is equalizing taxes. That was one of the first things we checked on. They are not directly providing a driver, but they have some companies they work with that will assist in finding one. No way in hell am I driving in India.
If a homeless person could have afforded my home and moving expenses any of the various times I’ve worked overseas, I’d’ve happily sold my house to that person, but homeless people don’t usually have money, so morally, they don’t deserve to own nice houses. They might deserve to have society give them a hand, but they certainly don’t deserve what we’ve worked hard to aquire.
For various other reasons I won’t get into here, I don’t think our house is a particularly soft target. Between a few passive measures and our alarm system, I’m not overly worried about break-ins. Obviously it’s a concern, but it’s not super-high on my list.