What do I do to winterize a home?

I have some friends that have a summer home in a location in Az where it snows and freezes. My ex and our friend go every spring to "open the house up" and make any needed repairs. It is in a sparsely populated area. Not many full time residents. I do know they bleed the water lines dry so the pipes won't burst and shut the water off. Not sure about gas or electricity though. I know they also installed lockable shutters for the windows to protect from stoms and breakage, also deters looters. Generally they "close up the house" at the end of September. I would call your local utility companies that service the home and see what they suggest, at least a good place to start. Hope this helps a little.

If you use it in the winter that is another story. The best thing in that case is to install insulation. The easiest but more expensive kind is sprayed on and works well. Naomie has given you good suggestions for a sometime home. I'll just add drain the toilet and put antifreeze in the bowl. Also inform the companies to turn of the gas and electricity. We had a country summer home where we did all this before we left in the fall and had to reverse everything in the spring.

Oh another thing. make sure there are no openings that allow critters to enter and get warm, mice, squirrels, raccoons or anything else in the area.