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Weekly Survival Real Estate Market Update
Retreat Caretakers, the Good, Bad and the Ugly
Recently I had the honor of reviewing a spectacular working retreat somewhere
in Idaho. The owner, whom resides out of state, was present to give me a tour
over the grounds covering hundreds of acres filled with multiple springs, ponds
and varied terrain that would leave most of the readers here coveting thy neighbors
retreat. I suppose I’m guilty as I write this update as well. Thank God
for His grace.
The intention of this weeks update is to briefly explore the idea of retaining
a full time caretaker at one’s retreat, the pro’s and of course
the cons of such an undertaking and the objective of such a decision.
On the surface most, including myself, hail to an astounding NO, when the thought
comes to having another person living at their retreat. What about OPSEC? Where
am “I” going to stay if someone is in “my” house? What
if they tell all their friends? What if….? Questions abound so let’s
explore some of these on a purely logical basis, never mind someone is keeping
your toilet seat warm in the winter.
First, what is a caretaker and when would one be needed? Well, generally caretakers
are just that, they would be required to oversee and maintain the property
in your absence and then be of utmost service while you were on site. From
some quick research it is generally accepted that the caretaker lives in the
home and then retires to a guest house while you are there (this could be a
small apartment or a trailer on the property). There are some properties that
require only seasonal attention, usually in the winter and thus caretakers
may change as often as the season, making for possible problematic OPSEC issues.
The best reason I can see to employ a full time caretaker is that you know
your supplies and gear is safe, either they know about it and are trusted to
help PM it, inventory it and rotate it or they simply are ignorant to the walls
being hollow. Either way, your stomach is ulcer free and you can live your
life without switching on your expensive retreat-o-cam every morning wondering
if your gear is now at the local flea market.
What can a caretaker actually ‘do’ for an absentee owner? If the
property is large enough there is a lot of check items that may be overlooked.
For starters, like the property I reviewed there will be major daily, weekly
and quarterly chores, especially in the spring and summer like:
1. Check, adjust and perform PM on
the Solar/PV/hydro
systems
2. Tend to animals that you want firmly in place should the retreat be activated
(you won’t be able to buy them when TSHTF)
3. Tend to the garden daily and canning activities at harvest time
4. Check and rotate food storage
5. Walk the perimeter fence line and fire break attending to issues
6. Brush clean up for fire season
7. Walking trail maintenance
8. LP/OP checks (Have the critters taken a hold?)
9. Firewood cutting (maintain three years worth)
Any roads including the driveway will need to be maintained, especially in
winter and after any significant storms in the summer. If there are ponds on
the property who will make sure the stocked fish have a viable environment
to thrive for that extra protein should food run low someday? A good caretaker
also makes sure that neighborly relationships are intact and that as you approach
your retreat after a major event that the odd’s are in your favor that
the retreat has been well protected in your absence its’ ready to go
when you arrive. The list goes on and on and is unique to each specific retreat.
I guess a good way to sum up the benefits of having a caretaker is like that
ol’ Motel 6 commercial where the narrator says at the end “we’ll
leave the light on for you”. A comforting feeling for sure.
What are the pitfalls of having a caretaker? I suppose even listing them here
would be a waste of words as we all can think of many issues that can become
major problems like theft and a total destruction of OPSEC. Those would be
the worst of the worst. Should a caretaker be hired, your storage should be
split into two places. The first should be the bulk of your supplies, say 75%
into a known bunker that can be managed by the caretaker. The other 25% needs
to be placed in a secure unknown bunker ‘just in case’, since even
the most trusted person can innocently betray’ their friend. One loose
word or errant comment can be an issue.
If anyone has ever seen or owned a rental property that went vacant for more
than a few months then it should be obvious that homes and surrounding property
can become neglected and unmanageable very quickly. A meticulous and trusted
caretaker can be a blessing.
How much to pay a caretaker? Normally, in high scale urban environment caretakers
(whom some are required to be certified chefs and nanny’s) are paid a
salary and benefits. However, this is not the case for rural caretaking positions.
Most times pay is a barter of some kind such as free room and a small stipend
for duties around the retreat. The owner I spoke with had adjusted his arrangement
with his caretakers over several years. In the beginning the caretakers rent
was a sum and then it was worked off on an hourly rate, but this was an issue
because in the summer the owner had to pay out of pocket not only the monthly
maintenance tab but hours back to the caretaker since in the summer there were
many projects to do. In the winter the caretaker owed the owner money since
there was little to do on the retreat and this arrangement quickly was replaced
with a much simpler one calling for no rent and no minimum hours, just a detailed
checklist of items that needed to be completed as the seasons changed.
Another issue that roars its’ head is that caretakers normally run a
cycle and over a period of time either get burned out, become complacent (or
think its’ their retreat), or just simply want to move on. In the beginning
they will work like Siberian sled dogs and after a time they’ll work
like a seasoned union worker (no offense of course, I was a union worker years
back and I knew how to take a break too!). This can be elevated by having a
clear and concise contract that lays out duties owed by both parties and remedies
for all.
The caretaker does not have to part of your ‘group’. There are
plenty of very trustworthy individuals and families that can be ignorant to
what the properties real intended purpose is so as to keep your OPSEC in place.
Just remember, should a perilous situation arise it is your duty to ask them
to stay and if they so choose, to keep on hand enough supplies to take care
of them for an extended period of time. If you think that upon retreat activation
you’ll just send them on their way, maybe you ought to re-examine your
own motives and be wary, since the possibility of them returning to harm you
will be very high. On the flip side, maybe a member of your ‘group’ is
in a position that they can take the position to make up for any shortfalls
in their capital calls to purchase the property. There are many ways to find
and retain a caretaker, be very discerning and choose carefully.
So folks, either while shopping for your retreat or once you’ve bought
one; consider the merits of a caretaker. After seeing first hand how a caretaker
can help a retreat owner the bottom line is that if one selects their caretaker
carefully the benefits far outweigh the risks. God Bless, - TS in Idaho
