Although some homeowners are blessed with nearby family members willing to check on heating and plumbing while they’re away, many others hire a professional housesitter at one or both properties. “Having a good house watcher is important,” Mrs. Lerner said. “In Florida, we’ve had windows broken from golf balls, problems with the pools, etc. And if you have a friend watching, it makes it difficult because you’re asking a lot.”  Professional caretakers usually have their own checklists to run through with homeowners, but it is a smart idea to compile them no matter who’s watching the fort. “The key thing,” said Gary Dunn, publisher of The Caretaker Gazette, a newsletter and a Web site for house sitters published in Texas, “is to leave a list of contacts. Who is the electrician? If the plumbing freezes, who is the plumber? Is there a neighbor who can be helpful?”  For Dellon Reighard, president of Dellon Enterprises, a personal-assistance and estate-management firm in Ohio, the idea is a no-brainer. “If you had a baby-sitting service, you’d leave what doctor to call,” she said.  On her company’s standard checklist, Ms. Reighard has her clients outline a maintenance schedule of weekly and monthly services for items like the furnace, the water heater, the pool and the alarm system. She also asks for fire and police phone numbers, as well as a roster of neighbors or family members who are allowed on the property.  Joy Dean Lee, a professional house- and pet-sitter for eight years, has recently added another request to her list: insurance contacts for appliances, the house, vehicles, even pets.  As winter looms, don’t forget one of the most important preparations. “You have to line up the plowing people, and make sure they’ve gone to the property before snowfall so they know where the septic system is,” said Deb Martin, who with her son, Anthony Deiulio, owns Connecting Rentals in the Sunday River ski area in Maine. “It sounds simple, but many people don’t think of it, and they don’t put up anything to indicate what’s there. Then the plowers dig up rocks and the lawn.”  Not a pretty sight. And definitely not something you want to have on your list of things to take care of when you return home.
Before you take off for your extended winter stay, there are a few things to tend to at home.