If you have luxury properties that are sitting empty you may look into a breed of professional home sitters, the home manager. Homes tend to maintain so much better when someone is living in it. The homes also show to potential buyers when they are under constant care.

The  home managers job is to maintain the home in pristine condition for showing, making sure that the home is clean and prepped and perfect for prospective homeowners to see.

And the home manager must be prepared to get out quickly in case of a rapid sale sometimes as quickly as 10 days. In return for keeping the home in perfect condition, the home manager pays a much lower rent than the market would demand.

A true win-win.

Fee has used about 30 home managers over the years to help sell properties whose owners have relocated, moved in with relatives or have another home in which to live.

She sees many practical advantages, the most obvious being that a house is not left vacant and uninviting — a place where mail and dust can accumulate and leaks may go unnoticed — or perhaps become a target for vandals.

An empty property, she said, can signal a “sense of desperation” to potential buyers who may reduce an offer accordingly. Just staging a home with nice furniture is expensive and still doesn’t produce that personal, lived-in feel, Fee said.

Home managers can make sure the place is kept heated or cooled, as the case may be, and are on hand to turn on lights and soft music before a showing. In addition, in brand-new homes, managers can help iron out any quirks, such as showers or ovens not working properly. via Los Angeles Times.

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