If you’re like most Palm Springs area vacation homeowners, you likely spend less time in the desert during the warmer summer months. And while we are seeing more and more full-time residents, the desert continues to be a top pick for seasonal home buyers from colder and wetter areas of the U.S. and Canada.
Summer Tips For Your Vacation Home When You’re Away
Whenever you’re away for extended periods of time, and especially during the summer months, be sure to remember these key points:
- Have your AC serviced twice each year (usually at the start of winter and summer).
- Don’t turn off your AC during the summer and keep the temp set at 85º F (29.4º C) to protect your furniture and contents, especially wood from drying out.
- Do not stop your pest control service (treating the perimeter of your home).
- Consider using a home check company when away for extended periods of time.
There are services and companies that will check your home once or twice a month, and it is worth looking into these services. They will also run water in each sink and shower and flush each toilet so that sewer gases don’t smell up your home when the water in the drain traps dry up (this is the desert after all).
Tips From A Palm Springs Air Conditioning Professional
We’ve seen some homes where the owners while away for the summer months choose to set their home thermostats at 90º or higher. I asked long-time expert Todd Shaw, owner of Desert Air in Palm Springs what he recommends.
“Personally, when my family and I are away in the summer we set our thermostats at 85º F and I would not set mine any higher. The little savings in electricity will likely be offset by higher maintenance bills for your home, and it’s contents,” said Shaw. Desert Air opened in 1954 and Todd is a third-generation family member running the business.
Selling Your Home During The Summer Months
Our Sheri Dettman & Associates realty team visits desert homes for sale all summer. Just last week one of our team members took clients to a home that had the air turned up to 90º while the sellers were out of town. The potential buyers walked in, turned around, and walked out, remarking that they had no interest in seeing any homes that were uncomfortable. And who could blame these potential homebuyers? If your home is listed for sale during the summer months we suggest setting the thermostat to 79º F (26.1º C).
Disclosure: We employ Desert Air to service our personal home and office but receive no compensation for mentioning them here.