What happens in Collier County during the summer & why seasonal residents should care!

While we all know and appreciate what Collier County has to offer during the winter months, when the weather is beautiful, and the focus is on getting dinner reservations, tee times, and coordinating visitors from up north, it is important to understand what takes place when you are not here during the hot, humid summer months, when the sun beats down and the rain storms roll in.

Collier County’s summer climate presents unique challenges, with an annual average precipitation of 55.64 inches, mostly falling between June and September, accompanied by scorching temperatures hovering around 90 degrees Fahrenheit**. To put it into perspective, January offers an average temperature of 76 degrees, with just 2 inches of rain spread over three days. Meanwhile, July sees temperatures soar to 93 degrees, accompanied by over 9 inches of rain dispersed across 13 days. It’s no wonder many choose to seek refuge elsewhere during the summer months.

But what lurks beyond the surface of hot, humid days? The combination of torrential rain and intense heat poses a myriad of risks for unattended homes, including an increased probability of roof leaks, electrical failures due to lightning strikes during storms, and unwelcome visits from critters seeking shelter in unoccupied properties.

If you have ever mistakenly mixed ammonia and bleach together, I can guarantee you learned never to do that again and have learned your lesson, even if someone told you not to do that.  Like ammonia and bleach, water and hot weather are a lethal combination for your home as they lead to an ideal breeding ground for mold. This silent menace can render homes uninhabitable if left undiscovered.  Mold remediation can cost thousands of dollars and is often not covered by standard homeowner’s policies, underscoring the importance of timely intervention and diligent oversight. So don’t wait till you have an issue to truly appreciate the importance of having oversight of your home when away!

While modern technology offers some degree of reassurance with remote monitoring systems and smart home automation, these tools alone are insufficient substitutes for comprehensive oversight of your home when away. Cameras may deter intruders, but they cannot prevent roof leaks or coordinate repairs in the event of an emergency. Similarly, leak detectors prove ineffective when water should be turned off altogether during prolonged absences.

Beyond the perils of water and heat, the absence of vigilant oversight during the summer months opens the door to a myriad of potential issues. Service providers may neglect scheduled maintenance tasks, and ‘critters’ may take advantage of vacant homes, wreaking havoc in their wake, to name just two additional challenges.

You can’t make this stuff up, says Allison R., Old Naples resident……. “After several years in the works, our Old Naples home was completed in November 2018. We enjoyed the season and departed back north as most people do and thought our home would not have any issues since it was a brand new home…….  Sure enough, we got a phone call from our estate manager in August informing us that we had some water intrusion on the second story of the home.  How could this be possible? It is a new home. The estate manager connected with the builder (who is very reputable), who also thought the same, and after sending over several photos along with the reading on the moisture meter, they came out to the home and confirmed it was indeed a leak (which we already knew)……  The story gets better………   So the builder had the roof leak repaired, and due to the damage, the ceiling needed to be painted (all covered under the builder warranty); since we had worked with the builder throughout the entire construction process, we were comfortable with them accessing the home and did not involve the estate manager throughout this process….  Little did we know that the builder had sourced the painting to a third party whom they had not worked with previously…….  Fast forward to the call from the estate manager a week later……  they said ‘were you in town this past week’ response was no ‘Why’??  Well, it looks like your golf cart has been moved due to the small stones in the garage, and knowing how things were during my last visit, some random clothes were in the laundry hamper, and it looked like someone was in the 2nd-floor guest bed….   

Fortunately, we did have someone looking after the home to spot the initial signs of water intrusion, which was great; however, in retrospect, we just wish we had kept the estate manager in the loop throughout the repair process so they could provide oversight.”

While the above scenario is rare, things like this do indeed happen, let alone during a hurricane.  It was just amazing to see how many people who were responsible for looking after people’s homes left during the past two hurricanes.  Of course, safety is paramount; however, when running a business looking after homes, one needs to ensure they have the property infrastructure in place personally to ‘weather’ through the storm and then start checking on the properties ASAP, said Marc Halcrow, Owner, Luxury Home Services who was the Estate Manager for Allison R. (and still is to this day).

Here are some things to consider as you start planning to depart your residence for the season

What do I need, as various providers offer different types of services?

I am here for six months straight and want to oversee the home myself but have someone check on the house several times a month when I am away? In this instance, pending the size of the home, I would recommend a provider who visits at a minimum of twice per month, larger homes have more complexity and many times require weekly or twice per week visits (as much can happen between visits).  

I am here for several months and don’t want to deal with the home either while in Naples or away I want the house to look the same as when I was last here and don’t want to deal with any of the service providers.  In this instance, I would recommend a provider who provides more than just traditional Home Watch services and is more of an Estate Manager for your property.  These providers have a solid network of providers they can work with to ensure the home is not only safe when you are not in town but in pristine condition when you arrive.  The Estate Managers can provide a tremendous amount of concierge services, from stocking one’s fridge to coordinating vehicles at the airport, basically anything that the hotel concierge at the Ritz-Carlton provides, with some providers also managing all the supplier invoicing, so you only have one bill from all the service providers going through your estate manager.

Out of sight, out of mind….. When living in Naples during hurricane season, the last thing that crosses one’s mind is what happens during hurricane season (unless one has experienced one in years past).  

• Having a plan in place to ensure your home is properly attended to is paramount
• This plan can include closing everything before you leave and moving all outdoor furniture inside
• So what about what happens after the storm??

What questions should I ask when evaluating a provider?

• How long have you been in business and what were your past experiences with Hurricane Ian and others? How long did it take to check on the properties after the storm? If the answer is longer than a day, you know this is not the provider for you!
• What type of insurance do you have?  At a minimum the provider should have a general liability on 1mm with 2mm aggregate
• How far away are the people who will be checking my home??  If the answer is greater than 10 miles, it will be difficult for the person to get to the home in a timely manner in the event of an emergency
• What experience do you have in managing homes?  Check to see that the provider has gone through proper training and is a member of The Home Watch Network a Home Watch Association that confirms an individuals/organization’s credentials, including validating insurance, and that staff have gone through a background check.
• What is your cost structure?  Providers primarily offer several types of models:
• A per visit structure and then fees for any additional services, many times the providers generate more money from the ancillary services than the home visits, so get a comprehensive overview of the pricing structure to avoid any surprises, some providers are actually charging for mileage from a location far away.   
• An annual subscription – Several providers in the Estate Management category offer an annual subscription where the homeowner pays an annual fee, and everything is covered, ‘soup to nuts’, as this can vary based on the needs of the homeowner. These packages are typically customized to the client’s needs, and while unexpected costs do take place when having a home in Naples, a fixed annual price for someone to oversee your home is a good thing.  As many homes in Naples are over several million dollars in value, what is several thousand dollars annually to ensure your home is properly taken care of?

About Luxury Home Services

Founder Marc Halcrow is a long-time Naples resident who is familiar with and experienced in managing luxury estates.  He is a Graduate of the Home Watch Academy and a Certified Home Watch Reporter

Contact Marc at 239-631-9586 or  Info@NaplesLHS.com

**Source – USClimate Data