In this post I want to introduce you to the benefits of a Home Watch Service in Tampa Bay.
You see, not everyone trusts friends and family to look after their homes.
I can’t say I blame them.
Let me ask you this:
Have you been on vacation recently and asked a friend or relative to look after your home while you’re away?
Did you have to ask them to do things and did you have to leave a to-do list?
Did you come home to problems that no one told you about, but you could have saved money had you known sooner?
Some other things you may have thought of:
Did they leave your fridge emptier than you left it?
Did they clean up after themselves?
Did they report important events to you?
Did they ensure the garbage was taken out?
Did they liaise with contractors on your behalf?
Did they tell you there’s mold growing?
Did they make sure the garden was taken care of?
After having a negative experience with a friend or family member looking after your home while you were on vacation recently, you may have been left questioning your choices.
Sometimes friends and family aren’t the best people for the job!
So what’s the solution?
Home Watch Services!
You may have heard of home watch services. Have you ever done research, only to find a whole bunch of sites shamelessly promoting their services and touting themselves as professionals, qualified and only the best in the business, etc, etc.
That’s all fine and well.
You see, we’re in this business because we value relationships over a quick buck.
We’ve built great relationships and fostered true friendships with the people we serve in and around our community. We’re in this business because we really care about our community.
If we take care of your home, it reduces the risk of criminals thinking that there’s a neighborhood, filled with easy pickings. If the criminals think this way, then my property could be targeted too.
So we look after each other.
As they say, a man standing alone, stands no chance against a mob, but a community has the numbers to stop them.
What is a Home Watch Service?
A Home Watch Service is a service provided by accredited individuals who look after and report any problem or irregularities happening at your home or business for any period of time, while you are absent.
What does the Home Watch Service Include?
The main function of a home watch service, is to make regularly scheduled visits to your premises in order to make it seem like there is regular activity at the premises.
Other tasks and duties performed during these visits include:
Inspecting for mold
Inspecting for insects
Inspecting for security breaches
Inspecting for water damage
Liaison with building contractors
Liaising with garden services and landscapers
Liaising with property developers or realtors
Giving access to third parties
Working with emergency response officers
Assisting to board up homes in preparation for storms
We also inspect walls
We check for pipes in walls that may be leaking, etc, etc
We also do much more than this. We’re here to be your eyes and ears, so let us know what else you need done while you’re away.
Why Choose a Home Watch Service?
Do you think for one second that your family and friends actually have your best interests at heart?
Maybe they’ll be interested for a few hours on the first day, but soon, they’ll start feeling frustrated and wonder why they ever volunteered to help you.
They may start resenting the fact that they put their lives on hold while you’re away, enjoying your time.
Not just that, you’ll often have to pry information out of them. They often won’t make contact if something goes wrong. Choosing to keep quiet till your return, then conveniently forget, when you do arrive.
That’s where we differ.
When you sign up with us, we install inspection cards on your premises. So that we can scan these cards whenever we visit your home.
The cards are pre-populated with data. This data includes the location of the cards and any other important information. The person scanning has the option to enter comments to clarify the report.
All entered data is immediately visible in your client dashboard, which you can access anytime, from anywhere.
Our reports update instantly. Information such as:
Location of card scanned
Who scanned it
What time it was scanned
What problems were found (through comments)
Remedial action taken (through comments)
Who to contact
Follow up details and further feedback reports
Using technology, our services are far superior to having a friend or family staying over.
It’s our job to look after your home. We take it very seriously. So that you can have peace of mind and keep us around a bit longer!
What Are The Benefits Of A Home Watch Service?
Apart from the obvious benefits, here’s a list of the benefits related to using a home watch service:
They can help mitigate/prevent damage to property
Our presence can deter criminals
Inspections are done for leaks, insects and mold
We report security risks
We liaise with contractors on your behalf
We are your eyes and ears while you’re away
Home Watchers will implement a storm damage plan
We can have maintenance work done while you’re away
We respond to alarm activations and report back
We ere on hand to deal with emergency response personnel
We provide access to third parties
We monitor activity of third parties
If you have special requests for us as your home watch service provider, we'll be happy to oblige, but, if there will be an extra cost involved, we will let you know up front.
In this business, we believe in total transparency. That’s so that both parties totally understand each other and know where certain boundaries are. It’s the basis for all the relationships we have.
Is There A Regulatory Authority?
Yes. It’s called the National Home Watch Association. They Cover the USA and Canada. Here’s the link to our registration page.
Are You Insured and Bonded?
Yes we are. We definitely wouldn’t want to take ANY risks. We’ll offer you advice on your insurance claims, when moving to a new home, we can help and guide you to the best contractors in the area, etc.
Do you offer any Warranties?
Get in touch with us to discuss any concerns you may have, and we can tailor something for you.
How do we know we can trust you?
That’s a difficult question for us to answer, but, you could get in touch with some of our previous clients and even chat to some of our current clients if that will put your mind at ease.
Get in touch with us, and tell us. We just need to get permission from our clients for you to contact them.
We all respect each other’s privacy, so we don’t want you calling our customers out of the blue. {That would be weird!)
What’s the process of getting you to watch my Home?
First of all, call us and book a time for us to see you. We need to meet you at your home, to have a look at the home itself, and get your insight about the things that are most important to you.
We’ll ask a few questions, get to know you and your needs, then inform you about our work ethics.
We’ll explain our process and what information you can expect from us.
You can decide how frequently, or infrequently you want to be contacted while you’re away from home.
Once you’re satisfied we answered all your questions and we’re satisfied that we’re on the right foot, we’ll get the paperwork and billing setup.
NB: It’s a good idea to plan ahead of time and have us ready to work for you at least 1 – 2 weeks before your departure.
This helps us to ensure we get the finer details from you and are completely ready for your departure.
If you have any questions whatsoever about employing a Home Watch Service in Tampa Bay, then please, get in touch, and we’ll be more than happy to answer any questions you have.