If you move between multiple homes throughout the year, it might make sense to leave one or more cars behind. But letting a car sit for more than a month or two requires some precautions as well. Without them, you may return to a dusty vehicle that won't start or drive. A home watch service — such as International Home Watch Alliance — can not only help keep your house safe, but it can help keep your car safe as well while you're away.
Discouraging Theft
Most member companies of the Home Watch Association offer regular inspections of vacant properties. This allows them to catch potential problems early, and it also discourages theft. Seeing someone visit your property can be enough to deter would-be home or car thieves. And should a break-in occur, the home watch service can then file a timely police report, making successful recovery of your property more likely.
Checking for Mold
Even when stored indoors, cars quickly develop surface mold as humidity levels rise. If not caught, that mold will spread and settle into hard-to-reach places until it's much harder to eliminate. A home inspector will notice mold as it first forms, wipe it away, and can improve ventilation in the car or garage to halt its progress.
Charging the Battery
When left to sit for too long, car batteries eventually drain and die. To ensure your car starts as soon as you return home, you have a few options. The first is to leave it connected to a battery maintainer, but this may use unnecessary energy. You could also disconnect the battery and store it separately. Perhaps the easiest option is to hire a home watch professional to periodically top off the battery or give it a full charge prior to your return.
Monitoring Tire Levels
Like car batteries, a faulty tire poses an immediate problem when you get back to your property. And if the weight of the car sits on a flat for long, it may permanently damage the rim and tire. Flats are another common car issue that a home watch service can resolve quickly and easily, preventing further damage to your vehicle.
Preventing Pest Infestations
Finally, and especially in the winter months, an unused car often looks like a perfect home to various animals like bugs, squirrels, and mice. Animals nesting in a car can damage its upholstery, chew on wiring, and leave a mess behind. Finding and removing them early could save you hundreds of dollars in repairs later. If you're preparing to leave your car at a vacant home, invest in a Home Watch Association service for peace of mind and to maintain control over your property, no matter how far you travel.
Share18 October 2022
It might not seem like it, but over the course of a lifetime, you can accumulate quite a lot of belongings. In fact, some of the objects might even be worth a lot of money, which is why it is important to have things appraised before you decide to sell anything. I began thinking about ways to unload some of my belongings a few years ago, and getting things appraised was a great first step. Check out this website to learn more about how the appraisal process works, how it can benefit you, and what you might need to do the next time you need to sell something.