What do you do with your home?

I live with someone at my tax home, so it's rarely empty. Obviously, don't need to have someone check mail, etc. It's built in convenience lol. But before that I did have a home where I lived alone, and yes it would stay locked and closed until I traveled back. It was however close enough (within 2 hours) for me to stop by every so often to check in on things. Mail was not an issue as I would have it forwarded to where I was temporarily.

I used to have my Dad drop by and check on my house, mow the grass, etc because he lived 30 mins away. Currently I have my brother staying in my tax home while I'm away, he basically is the caretaker. I still pay all the utilities and mortgage so when I choose assignments they have to be high paying enough to make sense for the cost of living at my tax home AND the cost of living of the new location.

I used to have my Dad drop by and check on my house, mow the grass, etc because he lived 30 mins away. Currently I have my brother staying in my tax home while I'm away, he basically is the caretaker. I still pay all the utilities and mortgage so when I choose assignments they have to be high paying enough to make sense for the cost of living at my tax home AND the cost of living of the new location.

Your situation is similar of what I thought people did. Can you travel in your own city?

Yes, you can do local assignments although sometimes local hospitals don't allow locals. You will pay taxes on all of your compensation so often when you consider all the benefits of staff like holidays, vacations, sick pay, education, good health insurance - the better cash pay of travel is no longer as enticing.

Mostly it is not worth the hassle of a "roommate" and I leave my house empty. I put "roommate" in quotes as renting your house out while you are gone in its entirety gives up your tax home and a large part of the benefits of travel. I have family locally that can check on it and mow the lawn and so on. This particular assignment I had a friend in need so I have a roommate for a nominal sum of $250 a month. I still have to have my family and our mutual friends check on the house and her and pick up my mail. I don't have important personal mail (all utilities, credit cards, and even the property tax is paid automatically), and my village is low crime (I don't lock my doors and I know my neighbors), but I do run a business and the checks need to be physically deposited.