While many people think that Texas is hot and dry, we do get a couple of hard freezes a year. For most people it simply means that the heat runs a bit more. However, if your house is vacant and the utilities have been turned off it could result in thousands of dollars in freeze damage. 
I received an email from a client with a vacant house last week worrying about this issue because of a blast of cold arctic air that is supposed to drop temperatures into the teens and stay near freezing for a few days.
Rather than having him turn on the utilities, we suggested he have the property winterized. Locally, we often use Mark Kissee of Kissee Inspections to handle this process for our clients. Winterization usually costs less than $150 (a bit more if there is a pool or a really large house) in our market. This is far less than the time and expense of having the utilities turned back on.
Worried about your vacant house? Winterize it!
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Source: http://www.thebranchteam.com/wordpress/2011/01/11/consider-winterizing-your-vacant-house/
Tom Branch and Gina Branch, The Branch Team with RE/MAX Dallas Suburbs, service the greater North Dallas suburbs including Dallas, Plano, Allen, McKinney, Frisco, Lewisville, and Carrollton. While Gina concentrates on traditional listings and buyer/tenant representation, Tom specializes in assisting distressed homeowners to avoid foreclosure. Tom and Gina have published two books (Achieving Rock Star Status and The Field Guide to Short Sales) and are available for speaking engagements in the greater Dallas - Fort Worth Metroplex. Subscribe to The Branch Team Blog.
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For us here it is a must, never thought about how you guys in the Southern states would deal with the sometimes cold weather.
Good advice. Cheap to do and can save you tens of thousands in problems.
Pair this with the info supplied yesterday in another blog about the bursting of pipes possibly NOT being covered in these vacant homes under certain insurance policies ... and your recommended action makes even more sense. Great recommendation Tom ...
I think that picture looks quite peaceful... As for your post, its always good to have a company you can rely on and refer to a friend / client. Winterizing is the way to go and helps prevent any possible issues due to our 'crazy' weather.