Here are a few of their comments:

“Just have them call and I will tell them how lucky they are to have you, as I am -  thank you for everything.”

“I gave you name and # to our insurance agent. They wanted to know who was looking after the place when we aren’t there.  I hope that was OK.  I can’t tell you how happy we are that we found you and your service. It sure does take a lot of the worry away when you are an absentee owner. Thank you again.”

“I can’t tell you how much we appreciate the extra attention you give us! We could not have our place, in Naples, if it weren’t for you.”

“It is so comforting to have you there!” 

And, we work with vendors who do the same.  We do not publish our list of vendors but will happily refer you to others who “set the standards” in their respective industries. 

As home watch gains more visibility, Seasonal Residents are aware of how it “should” be done.  In the past few days I received calls like this:

“I had someone who visited my condo on a regular basis.  They said there was a leak in the wall and the association took care of it.  This happened in August.  I just came back to Naples to find that no one took any steps to dry the condo and now it is filled with mold.  I had to hire a clean-up company and will need a contractor to make the repairs.  This will cost thousands.”

“The husband of the cleaner watches my condo.  He told me that it seemed warm.  He did indicate that I should be alarmed and I assumed he adjusted the AC setting.  He did not.  The AC was broken and, likely, did not operate for months.  Everything was yellow.  The rug padding melted onto the tile floor.  The smell was terrible.  It was a very expensive clean up and a costly lesson.”

“I give my home watch guy cash at the beginning of summer.  I never hear from him and trust him to visit and take care of my car.  If he was, my car would not have been filled with mold and the battery would not have been dead.”

When hiring your home watch provider, interview them.  Make sure they are insured, bonded and that they have a legal business.  Ask them about their training and experience.  Things can, will and do happen.  It is a matter of detecting an irregularity and knowing how to respond.

Home watch is an interesting business and pricing is all over the place.  There are “Neighbors Doing Favors” who will look in on your home for free, dinner or a couple rounds of golf.

There are businesses that offer home watch as an add-on service, maybe because their primary business is not so busy.  But, what happens when their primary business bounces back?  Will they make your home a priority or skip visits because they are too busy?

Some people start a home watch company (often not even a legitimate, legal, business) and figure that they only need to make some play money.   They soon realize that home watch is a serious business and they are not charging enough to cover expenses.  Visits do not get made.  Homes may experience damage.  The business does not last.  Low cost home watch providers are out there.   They charge $15 – $25 per visit.  They may even visit “as often as you would like” instead of a regular schedule.  If someone offers a monthly visit, think twice.  Home watch visits should be no less frequent than every 2 weeks.

Fortunately there are a handful of professionals that take home watch very seriously and treat it like a business.  They have a corporation, are city and county registered, insured and bonded.  They are trained, experienced and will be able to handle any situation.  These companies will charge from $35 – $60 per visit, or more, depending on the size of the house.

A proper home watch visit takes time and expertise.  A Home Watch Specialist is trained to know the early signs of damage and catch it before it becomes an expensive disaster.

Even the most minor mold or water damage will cost thousands!!  Early detection is the key to saving money.

So yes, you pay now for a qualified home watch service.  Or pay later to repair the damage!