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Many second-home owners handle the maintenance, upkeep, emergencies, and other responsibilities of their second home. Whether you can successfully manage your own property, inside and out, depends on several factors.
Ask yourself these questions to see if maintaining your second home is right for you:
- How close is your primary home to your second home? If it's less than a couple of hours away by car, you probably can visit every two weeks or so. Of course, this also depends on your schedule and other obligations.
- How handy are you? If you and/or your significant other can patch drywall, repair pool filters, edge lawns, and change a faucet washer, then you can probably handle the upkeep of your place on your own. If, however, you have a lawn maintenance company, a pool guy, and a housecleaner at your primary home, and you have your plumber on speed dial, don't expect to do everything on your own at your second home.
- How much can you afford to farm out? If your budget allows you to hire a housecleaner (if you're renting out the home) and a landscaping/lawn maintenance firm on your own, then you can probably get away with taking care of your second home without the help of a property manager.
- What kind of home is it? If your second home is a condominium that you can button up and leave without worrying too much about it, then forgo the property manager and do what needs to done on your own. But if you have a six-bedroom, five-bathroom single-family home with a pool, spa, and landscaping, then it may take a bit more elbow grease to keep your home in tiptop shape while you're not using it.
If you discover that maintaining your second home is just a tad too stressful, you may want to turn to a professional.
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