FAQ for Sarasota Home Watch Inc.

WHAT IS HOME WATCH?

If you are a seasonal Florida resident, having a professional home watch service is as necessary as a pool or landscaping service.  A professional home watcher will perform a visual inspection of your property, inside and out, looking for potential problems. At Sarasota Home Watch Inc., we create a custom checklist for each client, based on their unique needs and special requests.  We check for air conditioning issues, plumbing and electrical problems, water leaks, signs of pests, unlocked doors and windows. We take photos of your pool and landscaping, so you know they are being tended to.  We bring mail and packages inside.  We also meet contractors, such as your air conditioner technician, to ensure issues are resolved.  We provide a comprehensive checklist at the conclusion of each home check with photos, so you can see for yourself.  

We routinely find things that could potentially become disastrous.  On a daily basis, it's not uncommon to discover some of the following:  unlocked sliders, unarmed alarm systems, water leaks, non-functioning air conditioners, non-working refrigerators, insects, green or low pools, and microbial growth.

WHAT DOES IT COST?

We do not believe in a "one-price-fits-all" policy.  Condominiums take us less time to check than a home with a pool and landscaping (since we check to make sure your contractors are doing a satisfactory job).  The cost of servicing your property depends upon your property and your needs  

Call us to review your unique situation, and we'll give the best service and pricing options.  

WHAT IF I HAVE A SITUATION IN MY HOME?

The first thing we do if we see a serious issue is act to mitigate any further damage, then call the homeowner for further instruction.  If the homeowner is unavailable, we may contact the appropriate service company, as listed in the client's Service Agreement. The Home Watcher's training and experience, along with the information provided in the Service Agreement, gives us the tools to handle these types of situations with a calculated response. 

WHY CAN'T MY NEIGHBOR CHECK ON MY HOME?

There are plenty of "hobby home watchers" who don't have the proper credentials, insurance, education or training, and who don't provide a thorough checklist with photos.  They may be cheap, but your keys, alarm codes, and access to all of your belongings should not be entrusted to an untrained, uninsured, well-meaning friend or neighbor.  What happens to your friendship if disaster strikes and they don't catch it? What happens if they want to take a vacation? Do they hand your keys off to someone else? Do you really want your friends and neighbors to have access to all of your things?  Hiring a professional will guarantee peace of mind, and that's something you can't put a price on.  At Sarasota Home Watch Inc., we treat every home like there is a camera in every room, watching our every move, because there very well could be.

HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATIONS 

More and more Homeowners Associations and Condominium Associations are requiring absentee owners to have someone keep an eye on their vacant property.  We are happy to provide our credentials to Associations, who then place us on the "approved vendor list."  This ensures that the Association always has our current insurance, bond, business entity updates, and workman's compensation forms, and they know exactly who is entering their properties. 

We are fully bonded, insured, and background checked and have earned approved-member status with the International Home Watch Alliance.