My wife & I split our time between 2 houses.
After we retired from our jobs, both of us wanted to get away from the long winters of cold & ice in the north; my wife and I obtained a little lake-front property far enough south that the temperature never drops below fifty degrees, and from March thru the end of September, both of us enjoy the temperate weather up north.
My wife and I spend the remainder of the year at our getaway apartment down south. While both of us actually enjoy our new lifestyle, maintaining those 2 homes is a good deal of work. It’s taxing to keep up with the lawn & respected upkeep when we’re only on the premises for half of the year. We worry about complications with the heating & cooling systems causing damage such as pipes freezing. There was also the fear of someone breaking into the lake house while both of us were away. I wanted to be able to watch over the homes whether both of us were on the premises or not. Installing a home security system was one of the best decisions we’ve made. We’re now able to check on the houses through an app on our phones. My wife and I installed surveillance cameras so that both of us can watch real-time videos. Her and I added motion-sensitive lights & automated door locks. There’s sensors on all the windows that send an alert if a single one opens or if there’s glass breakage. Her and I get notifications if there’s movement on either of the properties or if someone steps up onto the front porch. We’re able to see who it is & even talk to them.