There are many reasons why people decide to get a vacation property. For one thing, it provides their family with a fantastic place to visit during the summer holidays. After all, you will save a fortune on accommodation if you have your own place to stay during trips. And also, having a vacation property is an excellent way to make some money. After all, it can earn you some money so that you have a tasty little sum when you do come to sell. However, when you do take on a holiday home, it does come with a ton of responsibilities. After all, you need to ensure it stays in good condition. But it can be a challenge to keep on top of things if you are only visiting for a few weeks a year. Therefore, here are some easy ways you can ensure your holiday home stays in a perfect condition all-year round.
Hire a gardener to take care of your plants
Unless you want to make a visit to your holiday home and find that all your plants have died, you need to ensure they are well looked after. After all, you don’t want to have to keep replacing them every time you go to your holiday home for a visit. Therefore, you should hunt down a gardener in the local area who will take care of your plants. They can pop in every few days to tend to them. It will save you having to worry about how they are doing when you are back at home. And remember to make sure you are careful when you choose plants for your garden. You want to pick ones which don’t need too much TLC. That way, you won’t have to spend a fortune on a gardener. If you ask at your local nursery, they will be able to guide you to low-maintenance plants for your garden.
Sprinkler systems
It can be hard to ensure your grass stays looking fantastic at your holiday home when you are back home. After all, it needs to be watered to ensure it remains in an excellent condition. And when you are back home, you can’t water the grass every single day. But when you return to your holiday home, you might find that the lawn is in a poor condition. And you will have to get it replaced sooner rather than later. Therefore, you should consider implementing an irrigation system. That way, the grass will stay healthy all-year round. After all, you will be able to set it up and leave it on while you are away. And if you are wondering how much sprinklers cost, you can look online to get a rough idea. That way, you know how much it will cost to take care of your grass. And if you don’t want the problem of taking care of your grass, you could always consider fitting artificial grass at your holiday home. That way, every time you visit, the grass will always look perfect!
Apply stain to outdoor furniture
You are bound to have a great garden table and chairs and a bench in your holiday home. After all, you will want to sit outside and enjoy the weather when you are visiting your vacation home. However, it’s so important that it’s ready for the winter weather. After all, you don’t want to return in Spring to find all your outdoor furniture has been damaged. Therefore, try and put pieces away in a safe place before you head home for the winter months. And if you have to leave furniture out in your garden, you need to apply some stain. For example, if you have a wood bench, the stain will make sure it’s weather resistant. That way, it will keep it’s color and it’s condition when the rain starts to fall. You can easily apply stain to sheds and other outbuildings you have in your holiday home too. That way, they won’t end up getting damaged in the bad weather! You can pick up stain for outdoor furniture at hardware shops.
Keep furniture covered inside
As you will know, if you don’t touch furniture for ages, it can easily build up dust. Therefore, you might return to your holiday home after an extended period and find that your beautiful sofa or dining table and chairs are in poor condition. And they might be even worse if they are left out in the winter months in a cold property. Therefore, you should get some covers which you can put on the furniture when you are away from your holiday home. That way, it will prevent dust and mold on your beautiful pieces of furniture. And it will ensure it stays in good condition when you can’t be there. And remember even in the summer months, your furniture could end up being ruined if it’s left near the window. After all, the light might discolor wood furniture. Therefore, move it out of the way of sunlight so that your furniture can stay in tip top condition.
Hire a window cleaner
It’s easy for your windows to pick up dirt and dust over time. After all, the weather can cause them to pick up marks over the year. And if you are not at your holiday home all the time, you might not be able to keep on top of taking care of them so that they look great. Therefore, you should hunt down a window cleaner in the area who can come to clean your windows at least once a month. That way, even if you are not there, your windows will be sparkly clean. And when you visit your holiday home, you won’t have to spend hours cleaning them to remove the old dirt.
Make sure it’s clutter-free
It’s so easy to leave things lying around in your holiday home. After all, tidying is the last thing on your mind when you are relaxing beside the ocean. But you need to make sure all clutter is removed before you leave to head home. Otherwise, items might end up getting broken by the time you get back. And if items are in the way, you might not spot old food that might be lying around. That means you could end up returning to your holiday home to find that you have an infestation of pests! Therefore, always remove clutter and put items away in new homes. Then you can clean it and make it spick and span so that it is in an excellent condition all-year round!
Consider letting it out
With you spending part of your time at home, it can be hard to keep on top of your home all-year round. But one way you can stay on top of things is by letting it out while you are not there. That way, people will be inside the home and can ensure everything gets used all-year round. After all, they will have to keep it tidy by the time they leave. And there are lots of other financial benefits to renting out your holiday home when you are not using it. As it says in this article, rental income can build your equity and will allow you to pay off your mortgage. And it can make you some extra money for your family. You can look in the area for local estate agents who can rent out your holiday home for you. Or you can advertise your property online to find suitable holidaymakers to stay in your property. And if you don’t want to rent it out, you could always consider housesitters. They will ensure your property remains safe and in good condition for however long you are away from home.
Invest in good security
It’s important that you keep your property safe while you are away. After all, you don’t want to find your beach home has had a break-in and your items have been stolen. Therefore, you need to make sure you have sturdy doors with a good locking system. And you might want to implement CCTV and a burglary alarm so that your home will stay safe while you are away. Also, it might be worth considering letting a reliable all-year round neighbor to have a key for your property. That way, they can let themselves in if there is trouble in your property.
Weatherproof the windows and doors
When you leave your holiday home for a period, it’s essential that you lock the windows and doors. Not only for safety purposes but also to ensure your home stays in good condition. After all, if they are not shut properly, your home could end up flooding if there is a bout of bad weather. You can also buy some products which will ensure the windows stay sealed. Caulk or weather strips would be ideal to ensure your windows and doors are properly weatherproof.
And remember to opt for low-maintenance flooring. That way, you can ensure it stays clean all-year round. Therefore, go for wood or laminate which is less likely than carpet to get messy while you are not there.