[MediocreButArrogant]

Originally Posted by edwardsk

How do you manage your summer home or 2nd home in Vegas when you're away? I should also note that I have no close friends in Vegas who I'd trust wouldn't just use the home as their party hangout, so that's not an option.

Seems incredibly difficult to have a home that you only occupy a short time during the year. Should I just forget about?

I've done it for over a decade. The best advice in this thread is for the home watch service. I'll send you a DM with my guy's contact information. He's very active in the industry - very involved with education/training for the national home watch industry association. He tells me everything that's going on in my house when we're gone, even stuff I don't want to know, like overdue repairs ("Yeah, I know about that hole in the drywall, I just never got around to fixing it on my last visit.") Once the power supply for my cable modem died, completely cutting me off from the house (except for the alarm system, which has cellular backup), and I was able to mail him a replacement and everything was back up within a few days.

Things that have made this work:

1. Home Watch Service
2. A couple immediate neighbors who we we are good friends with, who we trust and who have our contact information (and in one case, our keys)
3. A landscaper who communicates with us (including billing) through email. I have a Rachio so I control the irrigation schedule remotely.
4. A lot of security devices: Alarm system with remote interactive services and a boatload of sensors (every door and window including garage, plus motion detectors, including garage), Ring doorbell, Arlo cameras, Strikemaster door reinforcement, alarm and camera warning stickers. One Arlo looks down the side of the house where the A/C condensers and pool equipment are located. If I sprang a big leak at my equipment pad, I would be able to see it (might even trigger a motion alert if I were lucky). If someone sticks a flyer in the front door handle, I can see it and ask a neighbor to remove it.
5. A house that is located and oriented such that it is not a good target for burglars
6. A method for covering the pool so that it requires close to zero maintenance during our absences
7. A lot of connected devices: thermostats, AC outlets, lighting, and recently, automation to connect them all together to make the home appear occupied. For example, motion on my Ring or Arlo triggers barking dog sounds and makes lights go on and off, after a delay. If I wanted, I could do things like have my Harmony remote turn on my TV and tune to different channels at different times of the day.

The worst thing that ever happened during an absence was a failed defrost board on the heat pump, which prevented the reversing valve from operating. This happened in the summer, so instead of the heat pump cooling the house (heat pump is an A/C condenser that can also run in reverse to heat the house), it heated it instead. So I had the upstairs heat pump trying to cool the house while the downstairs one tried to heat it, and given that it was about 110F outside, the downstairs heat pump won and heated the house to 90F. I got a warning via the thermostat app on my iPhone, figured out what was going on, then shut off the downstairs heat pump remotely. That allowed the upstairs heat pump to maintain temps in the house in the mid-80s until I could fly out a week later. I determined the problem (with the help of some people on the doityourself.com forums), overnight FedEx'd a new defrost board, and had things working a couple days later. I actually used an old irrigation timer power supply to manually drive the reversing valve coil, so I had two working A/C condensers while waiting for the replacement board to arrive. I could have had my home watch guy just call someone to repair it, but I wanted to fix it myself.

[hotjambalaya]

As above,

I've also gone the route of using Arlo cameras for the house and outside to keep an eye on things. I also put in smart thermostats and irrigation systems that I can control from the other side of the world.

I also got a 'smart things' home automation system (not much about $100) and bought a load of leak detectors which are about the size of a matchbox, and threw them under sinks, behind washing machines etc. Basically, you can be your own eyes and ears on the place if needed.

[MediocreButArrogant]

Originally Posted by hotjambalaya

I also got a 'smart things' home automation system (not much about $100) and bought a load of leak detectors which are about the size of a matchbox, and threw them under sinks, behind washing machines etc. Basically, you can be your own eyes and ears on the place if needed.

I shut the water off at the water softener ball valve when I leave. That leaves only the cold water tap at the kitchen sink connected. Fewer locations to monitor that way. There are also WiFi flow meters you can install, but the good ones aren't cheap, last time I checked.

[aignerlasv]

Originally Posted by edwardsk

I'm looking to buy a home in Vegas, but I live overseas most of the year. In all likelihood, I'll come back to Vegas once or twice and a year and stay a month at a time.

1. I am not interested in renting the home out to anyone since I don't know when I'll be returning.

2. I prefer owning a home because I can leave my stuff there and make it a 'home' that I can enjoy, so I'm not interested in staying in hotels for months or short term apartments. Like, I really just wanna own something. At some point, I might return to Vegas and stay full time, so it would be nice to just have everything there.



So my question is... Does anyone here own a 2nd home in a Vegas that they leave unoccupied for most of the year, and how exactly do you handle it? I suppose this might apply to anyone who owns a 2nd home in a totally different state as well. I don't mind paying the taxes and insurance, yada yada, but is actually keeping the home from falling apart while I'm away a real possibility or am I dreaming?

I've looked for property managers and caretakers online, but it seems like most of them just specialize in renting your home while you're away, which I don't want to do. Feels like I would need someone I can trust to check in on the home a couple times a week, run the water, check for leaks, pests, intruders, but oddly enough I see none of this kind of service advertised.

How do you manage your summer home or 2nd home in Vegas when you're away? I should also note that I have no close friends in Vegas who I'd trust wouldn't just use the home as their party hangout, so that's not an option.

Seems incredibly difficult to have a home that you only occupy a short time during the year. Should I just forget about?

We own a second home in LV and are at the house twice a year for some extended time.
In short, if you don't have a trusted friend to look after the house, don't do it.
Too many issues with security, landscaping, HVAC system etc. You will stress yourself out if you're not present.
We have an alarm system, cameras, wrought iron security door and a good neighbor to check on the house.
A condo might be a better option.

[ndcairngorm]

After posting previously about a condo vs. a stand-alone home, I'm posting again, asking you to take note of all the additional problems associated with leaving a house versus leaving a condo. Above, I have seen the rigamarole one poster has to go through in order to leave his house: pool worries, landscaping worries, burglar worries of all sorts, garage worries, people leaving flyers in front door worries, etc.etc. With a condo, someone else, not you, worries about and maintains all those things. No one knows whether you're behind that front door or away for a two-year stint. If you turn off your water to the condo and electricity to the major appliances and other things you decide on, you're done. A condo watcher will be cheap and easy to procure.

[jet757f]

We have had our house for around 7 years in Las Vegas that we eventually plan to retire in. I go there at least once a month during the summer and sometimes during the winter. We live in Ca right now so fairly close.

I keep it well lit at night and also have glass break sensors on the windows. Also have some cameras around. Have a pool guy for the pool who comes once a week and a landscaper who also comes once a week. They let me know if anything is wrong on the outside. Also there a handyman in the neighborhood who could fix things that go wrong. I have keypad locks on some of the doors where he could get in. I used to have a neighbor go through the house but not anymore.

I know my neighbors and they have my phone number if any look suspicious to them. So far all has been good and I'm happy that we got the house.

My only concern is that it is a two level house and not sure if my knees and hips will tolerate the stairs as I get older.

[Coco6163]

My HOA has fees that range from about $400-600 a month. Many homeowners here do what OP wants to do. In most of the sub associations, the fees include security for the house, front yard landscaping, and many exterior repairs to the house. For homes with pools or backyard landscape maintenance requirements, most folks hire contractors to do that work as needed. With smart technologies (as noted by other above), keeping the heating and cooling under control is very manageable.

In short, what OP wants to do can be done and is done by plenty of folks in my community.

[Sukik]

There are downtown townhouse subdivisions with affordable HOA fees, under $200. Take a look at Braewood Heritage. It's gated. Nicely kept up. Three pools. Enclosed private rear courtyards that can be zero maintenance if needed and the front is taken care of by the HOA. Makes it easier to walk away. BH also doesn't allow rentals, so you don't have transience.

[Michael2016]

https://www.homewatcherlv.com give this guy a call or drop him a line. He is dealing with 100s of such cases and can advice you best.

[mike886]

I have used Homewatchers services for the past 6-7 years and can not say anything but great things about the service we have received knowing someone is checking in on our place really gives us peace of mind. They also will accept packages for you and place in your home as well they have a welcome home service that turns everything on.