Why hire a home watch service?
Compiled below are some truly excellent reasons to have a NHWA accredited
company keep an eye on your empty or unoccupied property
-
An NHWA Accredited Home Watch Service’s regular visits to your property can prevent or lessen property damage.
-
An NHWA Accredited Home Watch Service will create a presence in your home which may deter squatters and other intruders.
-
An NHWA Accredited Home Watch Service will deliver consistent and accurate information to you during your absence.
-
NHWA Accredited Home Watch inspectors will look for leaks, insect infestations, mold, and other potential issues.
-
For condo owners, while an HOA/POA is responsible for common grounds and common areas, you are responsible for everything from the “studs in.” Problems in an overhead unit can create major damage to the unit below. Common pipes in common walls are also notorious for causing problems to multiple units. An NHWA Accredited Home Watch Service will discover any issue prior to your return.
-
Homes controlled by an HOA/POA have bylaws that dictate how their exterior and grounds are to be maintained. An NHWA Accredited Home Watch Service will make itself aware of these rules and make sure that your home is kept within guidelines. They will address any problems with landscapers and lawn services.
-
An NHWA Accredited Home Watch Service can act as your liaison between contractors, associations, Realtors, and virtually anyone that you authorize them to.
-
An NHWA Accredited Home Watch Service can make arrangements for work to be done in your absence, leaving you to do what you wish once you return.
-
An NHWA Accredited Home Watch Service can answer alarm calls.
-
An NHWA Accredited Home Watch Service will give you peace of mind, knowing that your home is being looked after by professionals who have your best interests in mind.
Note: An NHWA Accredited Home Watch Service is NOT a house sitter. No one will be staying in your home and Snowy Owl Home Watch does not offer pet sitting services.
Tamara Nugteren, Snowy Owl Home Watch, President.
"A few years ago, our neighbors had a turkey fly through their second story bathroom window. A TURKEY. Turkeys are huge. I know this because I saw it happen and it was indirectly my fault. We were walking home and our dogs scared up a bunch of them in our front yard. Startled, one of them flew off but didn’t clear their house.
A very fortunate set of events followed:
-
I was able to contact the neighbor and they were home (but in the lower level and had not heard the window shatter).
-
My husband was working from home and able to go over to help her “deal with” the turkey.
The turkey was not dead. It was stunned by the impact and lying on the floor in a mess of blood, glass and feathers. My neighbor quickly shut the bathroom door keeping it from the rest of the house. When my husband arrived, he was able to shoo it back through the window and outside.
But what if no one had been home? What if they were gone for days or longer and no one had seen it happen? What a disaster averted. Interestingly, when the neighbor called a glass company to arrange for replacement, they told her that it 'happens all of the time'. Wow."
Dan Lender, owner of Golden Rule Home Watch & Concierge, Herndon, VA
“So last week, we went to a client's home and there were many honey bees flying around and/or dead on the floor in the great room. Talking about hundreds of bees that had infiltrated via the chimney. The homeowner is in Europe for another two months. Talked with homeowner and today met a contractor (bee keeper) who specializes in removing and relocating honey bee hives.
Great use case for the question about the value of home watch. ..."What if xxx happens and no one is around to spot it". In this case, there would have been a large hive built and much destruction to the side and ceiling of this very large house.”
Melissa & Kevin, neighbors.
After a week long trip to visit family, Melissa, Kevin and their kids only wanted to get home, relax and unpack - but instead they came home to pipes that had frozen and a water disaster. Who knows how long the water had been flowing before they got home. Because the cold snap caused many residents to have this problem, the delay in discovery not only caused extensive damage but also kept them from getting in line for repair help in a timely manner. No one wants to come home to flowing water.
Yet another story from my own home.
We have a solar tube in our bathroom. It allows natural light in, much like a small skylight. During a cold snap this winter, the warmed air condensed on the cold sides of the tube. It then started raining down onto the glass. Some of it escaped through the seams wetting the sheetrock. If we hadn't noticed it and removed the plate to dry out the interior, the water damage to the ceiling would have continued. We caught it just in time.
Kim Opitz, St Louis Park, MN
“[I have a story to share] about going out of town after getting some yard work professionally done. Little did we know they'd cut the gas line during the work -- and when the cat sitter arrived, the fire department and police were there due to reports of a gas leak from a passerby.
Cheryl Wiseman, New Hope, MN
“We went out of town for a weekend and came home to find that our dishwasher overflowed! Had to replace flooring on main level and everything below in the basement - what a nightmare!” Tamara: How lucky it was only a weekend. Imagine if they had been gone for several weeks or months! The mold!
Dorree Adelmann, St Louis Park, MN
“My parent's refrigerator went out on them while gone for the winter and was it rank when they came back!! Had to throw out the fridge since it was so gross.” Tamara: Yikes. If they had a home watch service the appliance could have been saved! What a horrible job to come home to.
Tamara Nugteren, Snowy Owl Home Watch, President.
This next one happened at our house. One evening in 2021 my husband and I were out with friends when we got a frantic phone call from our high school aged children at home. The lower bathroom had been flooding and it had gone unnoticed for a while. They were trying to dry it up with bath towels but it just kept on coming. They could tell it was the toilet, but didn’t know why. We were able to talk them through turning off the water over the phone and rushed home. It took a few minutes to figure out what had happened. Somehow, the tank had cracked through no one’s fault. It probably started with dripping, but then opened up into a gush. The toilet mechanism kept the water running in an effort to refill the empty tank. If the kids had not been home it would have been a full on disaster, soaking our new laminate wood floors and carpeting shortly. If no one had been home for days… I can’t imagine. It was as if a faucet was turned on.
