You will spend your "vacations" cleaning and making repairs. Less so if you don't rent. And what others have said. Jerks, thieves, low-lifes, and destructive, non-caring a-holes abound.
We rented our home for 2 years once when we were in another part of the state (Alaska is BIG!). It did not have a good outcome. The next time we were in that situation, we left the house empty..... for 8 years.... one of us getting home once a month or so to check on things.
Even then, there is maintainence to be done. I never did figure out how several light bulbs manage to burn out between trips, when no one has used the lights....
Sometimes we rent vacation units on our trips. My wife spends 4-5 hours cleaning before we leave, which, in my experience, makes her the only person in the world to do so.
