Home watch visits
A careful look at your home, every week or every other week.
We walk the house on the same 40-point checklist every visit: outside, inside, the systems, then locking up. The report with photos is on your phone as soon as we lock up.
What every visit covers
- Outside
- Gates, doors and windows, the roofline from the ground, drains and downspouts, the irrigation, and the pool and spa equipment.
- Inside
- Ceilings and floors in the same spots every visit, under every sink, the toilets, the fridge and freezer, and any sign of pests.
- Systems
- The water meter with everything off, the water heater, heating and air at your settings, the electrical panel and the smoke detectors.
- Closing up
- Mail in, lights and timers set, every door and window locked, the alarm on, and the report sent.
Every visit
A complete check of your home, every time.
We follow the same 40-point checklist on every visit: outside, inside, the systems, then locking up. Nothing gets skipped, and each photo can be compared with the one from the visit before.
An example visit to a house above Windansea. Every house is different, so we check what yours has. Larger homes take a little longer.
Outside from 9:40
- Approach, gates and driveway. Gates, fences, the driveway, anything out of place, any sign someone tried to get in.
- Mail and packages. Collected, and the step kept clear. A pile of flyers tells the street nobody is home.
- Doors and windows, outside. All locked, no damage, screens in place.
- Roofline and gutters. From the ground: sagging, debris, loose tiles, downspouts still connected.
- Walls and eaves. Stains, peeling paint, gaps a pest could use, wasp nests.
- Landscaping and irrigation. Wet soil or dry, checked against the schedule. Dead patches, branches touching the house.
- Pool and spa. Water level, clarity, the pump running, no leaks at the equipment pad.
- Hose bibs. Drips and staining at every outside tap.
- Exterior lighting. Lights and timers working, motion lights aimed.
- Bins. Stowed, with nothing to draw animals.
Inside from 9:52
- Entry. The alarm as we found it, and the first breath inside: gas, mildew, sewer, smoke.
- Ceilings. Every floor. The same spots photographed every visit, so a new stain is obvious.
- Kitchen. Under the sink, the dishwasher lines, the fridge and freezer. The disposal run briefly.
- Bathrooms (3). Under every sink, the toilet supply lines, a flush, and water run to keep the traps wet.
- Laundry. Hoses and connections dry, the dryer vent clear.
- Water heater. Fittings, the pan, the temperature setting, and the year it was made.
- Windows and doors, inside. Locked, no condensation between panes, blinds the way you like them.
- Floors and walls. Warping, cupping, damp baseboards, new cracks.
- Pests. Droppings, chewing, insects. The pantry, the garage and the attic hatch first.
- Plants. Watered if that is part of your plan, and anything dying taken out.
- Lights and timers. Burned-out bulbs, and the timers running as agreed.
- Vendor leftovers. Tools, debris, an access panel left open.
Systems from 10:08
- HVAC. Set where you want it, the filter, a test cycle, the condensate line dry.
- Electrical panel. No tripped breakers, no heat, no smell.
- Smoke and CO detectors. No chirps. One detector tested each visit, in rotation.
- Water main and shutoffs. No weeping at the valves. We know where every one of them is.
- Water meter. Read every visit. A dial that moves with all the water off is a leak.
- Irrigation controller. The schedule and the season setting, no fault lights.
- Garage. The door, the opener, the cars as you left them.
- Drains. Area drains clear, and checked again before rain.
- Wi-Fi and hubs. Thermostat, cameras and locks online, so your own view of the house stays alive.
- Alarm re-armed. Set again on the way out, the code entered correctly.
Closing up from 10:18
- Your standing requests. The things you’ve asked us to do each visit, like the blinds or a door kept shut.
- Vendor visits since last check. What was done since last time, whether it was done well, a photo of the result.
- Deliveries. Handled the way you asked.
- Changes since last visit. Anything different from last time, even when it’s fine.
- Storm season. Storm or fire-season items, when they are due.
- Keys and access. Back on its numbered tag, the lockbox reset, the log updated.
- Locked and armed on departure. Lights off, doors locked, alarm on, gate closed, and a photo of the locked door.
- Report sent. Sent from the car outside, before we drive away.
Water first
Expensive damage usually starts as a slow leak.
A running toilet or a weeping valve can go on for weeks in an empty house. The water meter shows it long before a ceiling does, so we read yours every visit with everything turned off.
Chubb’s claims from 2014 to 2018 put the average water leak above $55,000. Chubb claims data, via Insurance Business, 2020
On the first day, we find your main shutoff, photograph it, and agree with you on when we close it.
The dial is still. No leak.
If the small triangle on the meter turns while every tap is off, water is going somewhere it shouldn’t.
Which plans include it
Essential is two visits a month. Signature and Estate are every week. An extra visit, after a storm or before a guest arrives, is $75 an hour.
See pricesHow long is a visit?
About forty-five minutes for a typical house. Bigger houses take longer. The report shows when we arrived and when we left.
Is this a home inspection?
No. A visit is a careful look at the house, on the same checklist every time, skipping only what your house doesn’t have. A home inspection is a separate service, usually done when a house is bought or sold. If you need one, we can point you to someone good.
Do you need my keys?
Yes, or a code. Keys go on a numbered tag, never with your name or address, and every time one goes out it’s written down. If you stop using us, every key comes back to you within the week.