Second home owners' guide

You're not here full-time. The house is. Here's the short list of what to set up so the house is being cared for when you aren't standing next to it.

The vendor list every absentee owner needs

• HVAC service: twice-yearly maintenance, plus a relationship with a tech who'll come out same-day in August when a unit fails
• Pest control: monthly or quarterly. The Gulf Coast is a bug coast. Stay ahead of it.
• Lawn / landscaping: bi-weekly in season, monthly off-season
• House watch / property checks: someone walks through every 1-2 weeks when you're not here. Reports leaks, break-ins, the alarm going off, the AC drain pan full
• Cleaning: if you rent it, you need a turn cleaner. If you don't, a quarterly deep clean.
• Pool service (if you have one): weekly. Don't skip.
• Locksmith on call: when the renters break the keypad at 11 pm Saturday
• Plumber and electrician: have one of each you can text
• Hurricane prep service: some companies will board up your windows and bring in your patio furniture for you when a storm is named, for an annual fee. Worth it if you can't get down on 48 hours notice.

The internet of things, briefly

• Smart thermostat — set the away schedule. Don't run the AC at 70 with nobody there.
• Water leak sensors in the laundry, under the kitchen sink, near the water heater, behind toilets. A $30 sensor flags a flood before it becomes a $30,000 floor replacement.
• Smart water main valve if the budget allows — auto-shutoff on detected leak. The single best house-protection upgrade for absentee owners.
• Camera at the front door + alarm system. Not optional.
• Smart locks if you rent — keyless turnover is dramatically easier than physical keys

If you rent it (short-term rentals)

• Both Escambia (FL) and Baldwin (AL) counties have specific short-term rental ordinances. Know yours. Permits, tax collection, occupancy limits, parking limits.
• Most condo HOAs in this market allow STR. Some don't. Read the HOA documents carefully before you buy.
• Property managers take 20-40% of gross. Self-managing can save money but is real work.
• Cleaning fees are taxable and increasingly scrutinized. Make sure your turn cleaning costs are reflected in the actual price, not hidden as a separate fee.
• Renter screening matters more than you think. The repeat-offender problem groups list each other in property manager networks.

Real estate / rental managers

The big rental management companies in the market: Brett/Robinson, Liquid Life, Meyer Vacation Rentals, and dozens of smaller independents. Most of them also have a real estate sales arm. The pitch you get from each will reflect the side they want you to be on.

We don't take referral fees from rental managers. We're not promoting any of them. The decisions about how to manage and market your property should be made on your finances and your goals, not on who has the biggest ad budget.