Cabin Chronicles

Footprints in snow make home look occupied

We have had tons of snow this year, and one thing we are always sure to do with the homes we care for is make them look lived in. Of course, many of our customers do actually stay at their homes year-round and just have us perform concierge services for them. However, for the customers that are away, either for weeks, months, or just days at a time, we can make footprints in the snow on their walkways, if we are not shoveling and clearing snow completely off the walkways. Nothing is more attractive to burglars than an unoccupied home, and it’s so obvious a house is unoccupied when there is snow piled up in front of main entry doors.

It is important that homeowners inform their neighbors if they will be having work done at their home when they are not around. Recently, a Colorado Springs handyman hired to change a homeowner’s locks nearly missed a bullet after a police officer who had mistaken him for a burglar fired a shot at him. The police were responding to a complaint from a neighbor who noticed the handyman there.

It is stories like these that concern us, since we often work in homes when the owners are not home. The neighbor did the right thing by reporting the suspicious activity, but you can see how this turned into an embarrassing and dangerous situation quickly due to poor communication. We always ask our customers to inform any neighbors they can trust that we will be doing some work at their home. Most importantly, we ask that they tell any guests who may be staying at their home about us.

This case is a bit extreme, and it seems like it escalated out of control quickly. However, it does happen. If you have service workers coming to your home, please be sure to notify a close neighbor and any houseguests you may have. You will avoid a dangerous situation like the one in Colorado, and your neighbors and home service workers will appreciate this.

The Colorado handyman is okay, and he has forgiven the police officer.

Today we installed a lock box for one of our customers. These are great devices, and they're a wonderful alternative to keeping a key hidden under a mat or in a flower pot! If you must keep a key on your property, make sure it is locked. Click on the slide show above or click here if you’d like to buy a lock box. This will take you directly to a home and cabin shopping mecca. You’ll find a variety of reasonably-priced lock boxes in different shapes, colors, and styles.

Seasonal Home

The majority of our seasonal customers have headed for warmer weather, so this week we’ve been busy starting up our seasonal home watch packages this week. We got several new customers this year, so we’ve been busy. Usually when people leave their homes for the season, they have a checklist of things that need to be completed before their departure. We know that not every homeowner has a list, so we put a handy list on our site. You can access it by clicking here.

If this is your first time heading south for the winter, be sure to check your homewoners’ insurance policy for any vacancy clauses. This is extremely important for the snowbird “newbies.” If you have further questions or aren’t sure whether or not there is a clause after looking through your policy, contact your insurance agent. Often times, insurance companies refuse to cover incidents if your primary residence has been unoccupied for 30 days or more.

Starbuck on Halloween

This is Starbuck. She is one of the caretaker’s pets. For Halloween this year, she dressed up as a nurse. It’s fun to celebrate Halloween and other holidays at the vacation home. Halloween is a particularly nice time at cabins in the woods. They make a perfect spooky setting!

We will be working for just a little while this Halloween. We are going to be passing out candy at a customer’s house. It’s fun for us, and it’s not a bad idea for the homeowner. This way, it looks like someone is living there full time, which is always a good idea to ward off vandals or thieves. Unfortunately Starbuck is not allowed in the customer’s house. She will have to stay home!