[youngblud]

They finished today. Wow, I had no idea how many weeds had sprouted up until I saw the pics he took. It definitely stood out and I understand the HOA citing me now.

I still love how low maintenance these new homes in Vegas are.
Anyone care to foreshadow what my next problem might be so I can nip it in the bud now?
I should be gone another couple months.

Heaters on like 55 auto.
Security net camera monitor for movement.
Water heaters on vacation setting.
mails taken care of.

I'm thinking like a water pipe burst (acts of god) are the only things that could really ruin things, but what control do I really have over that.

[MediocreButArrogant]

Did you do anything to prevent the traps in your toilets from drying out and allowing sewer gas to enter your home?

Things I would watch out for include:

1) Sunday paper (when LVRJ decides to give everyone a free copy) and neighborhood edition of paper sitting in driveway for days

2) Ads stuck in or on front door

3) Ads stuck in or on garage door

4) Neighbors garbage on your yard when it's really windy the night before garbage day

All of these are indicators of an empty home, so your best bet is a friendly and trusted neighbor who will pick these things up for you when you're not there.

5) Irrigation valve leak - I had this happen to me, 53k gallons of water wasted last month, more than I will probably use the other 11 months of the year. The most embarrassing thing is that I was in the house when it happened and didn't notice it until the water meter was read the the meter reader left me a notice of suspected leak.

I have lights in the living room and master bedroom that are on timers (with some built-in randomness) that give the appearance of an occupant. I also have a "Fake TV" that simulates lighting patterns of a TV that can be seen from the street, so it looks like I'm in bed watching TV every night. Again, this is on a timer with some randomness on the start and end times so the schedule is a little different every day.

[dkinlv]

I have a few of these timer switches throughout the house and I personally think these are the best timers on the market. A bit pricey but worth every penny. You program your location and set the timer to vacation mode and it will randomly turn the lights on and off from dust to about 12am. These switches have no minimum watt load so you can use CFL bulbs. The timer has a ton of features and the install was pretty straight forward.

Honeywell Solar Timer

I saw the fake tv and was wondering about it. How real does it look from the outside?

[MediocreButArrogant]

Originally Posted by dkinlv

I saw the fake tv and was wondering about it. How real does it look from the outside?

From the outside the illumination in the room looks exactly like you would expect a TV to look.

[erehwon666]

I had the same issue looking for a reliable landscape maintenance guy.
I have this vacation place in northwest las vegas and i'm only there a couple of times a year. it's a gated community under HOA oversight and needless to say, i am always in trouble with the HOA about these weeds! I had to deal with more than a dozen Vegas companies, some set up appointments and not even show up, those who show up do their estimates agree to do it then never show up ... in short the process was a pain. Ultimate Lawn Maintenance is the exception. The owner, Brian, is quick in estimating and quoting the price, and the folks he uses are very efficient and clean in doing the actual landscape maintenance. My wife was impressed watching them on our security cameras as they did their thing. Brian is also very quick to respond on his e-mail if you have any issues. A very professional service. They are not the lowest bidder but they are worth the price!

[dynimagelv]

I had one for a time.....and his wife did housework.....they were reasonable....until you factored in all that they stole....I am less trustin now.