Now that it is a day or two before you are scheduled to leave, here are some more things to remember to do to prepare your home for closing during the summer.

Prepare Your House to Leave for the Summer - One to Two Days Before
1.Remove chairs, furniture and decor from patio or yard. Anything that's cloth, plastic or wood will be damaged by the summer heat if you leave it outside.

2.Replace back-up batteries in fire alarms, automatic watering systems, thermostats, security systems.

3.Seal up non-refrigerated products like cereals, grains, boxed foods, baking products and pet foods in plastic bags or containers with tightly sealed lids to keep bugs and moisture out.

4.If you will be turning the refrigerator off while you are gone, empty it. Leave the doors open while you are gone for circulation.

5.If you'll be leaving the refrigerator on while you are gone, toss any foods that will spoil. You can keep items like condiments and water in the refrigerator. A working refrigerator that is nearly empty uses more energy, so add bottles of water. Empty the ice tray and turn off the automatic ice maker.

6.If you have a soft water system or reverse osmosis water system, determine if any action is necessary on your part before leaving.

7.If you are leaving a car in the garage, disconnect the battery. You might even want to cover the vehicle to protect it from dust.

8.If you have a golf cart, put water in the battery.

9.Remove propane tanks and combustible/flammable chemicals from the garage.

10.Even if you will be turning off the main water valve to the house, you can still water the plants in the yard. Set your irrigation timer appropriately for summer heat so all your shrubs and trees aren't dead when you return.

11.Even though you aren't in the house, and whether you water the yard or not, there will be weeds. Consider a yard care service that will take care of the weeds, do some trimming, mow the lawn if you have one and check for irrigation system problems while you are gone.

Make sure it is a company that you know and trust -- obviously the workers will know that you aren't living in the home.

12.If you have a pool, arrange for a pool service to handle the maintenance while you are away.

13.Arrange for exterior pest control while you are gone.

14.Got houseplants? They probably won't be alive when you return, so either lend them to a neighbor or take them up north with you!

15.Provide a key to the house and any external gates, as well as your contact information, to a neighbor or relative who lives nearby.