What is a home watch service?
A home watch service consists of regularly-scheduled inspections of both the interior and exterior of unoccupied homes. Home Watch of Arizona’s primary emphasis is ensuring their clients’ homes are secure and there are no issues with vandalism, water leaks, animal or bug infestations, rain or storm damage, plumbing, electrical, air conditioning and heating, mold or various other concerns.
Why not have a neighbor watch my home?
Neighbors are great and usually free of charge, but most of them do not have the expertise to properly inspect your home, which is a very large investment on your part. In most cases, neighbors will pick up the mail and newspaper, maybe take a quick look inside the home, and then watch the home from across the street. We use an extensive checklist to ensure that each potential issue can be detected before it becomes a major problem. We are available at all times, not only for regular inspections, but also for an emergency. Contrastingly, a homeowner never knows if their neighbor is going to be in town or on vacation. Our fees are a small price to pay for our clients to know their homes are being taken care of by licensed, experienced and insured professionals.
Who conducts the home watch inspections?
Currently, all of your home watch inspections will be done by the Home Watch of Arizona owners, John or Debbie Hay. In the event that we are not available, as we occasionally do take time off, we will have one of our highly-qualified staff perform the inspections.
How often do I need someone to inspect my home?
This is both a personal and an insurance issue. It is difficult to determine exactly how often someone should have their home inspected. If an issue arises, it is always best if it can be identified before it becomes a large problem. For safety reasons, once a week would be best. However, many clients feel every two weeks is sufficient. We believe that less frequent inspections do not provide the level of security needed to ensure that our clients’ homes are properly taken care of while they are away.
Also, some insurance companies require someone to inspect an unoccupied home once or twice a month. Other insurance companies do not seem to have an issue with this, so there are no requirements. In order to see what requirements the insurance companies may have, please contact them before making a decision on the frequency of inspections.
Are you available 24/7?
Yes, we will take calls at any time for emergency issues.
Can you provide me with your fee schedule?
It is almost impossible to provide a quote over the phone without first seeing the property. Without seeing the size and nature of the home, it is difficult to determine which services would best serve our clients’ needs. Basic properties, such as a condo, start as low as $30 per visit. Depending on the complexity of the property, prices increase from there. Details of our fees will be discussed after examining the home and discovering what specific needs may exist. Since we have 100 percent retention with our clients, this has never been an issue with us. However, our fee schedule is posted for those interested in learning more.
Is Home Watch of Arizona licensed and insured?
Yes we are licensed and insured to offer our services in Arizona.
Is Home Watch of Arizona a member of the National Home Watch Association?
Yes, we are a member in good standing with National Home Watch Association (NHWA). Please click on their logo at the bottom of any page on the website in order to learn more about the association and their requirements. There is also a NHWA area in the services section of our website that provides comprehensive information about their organization.
How do I know my home is being taken care of while I am away?
Home Watch of Arizona uses a custom program for reporting our inspection updates. This program has a built-in GPS system which only allows us to obtain access to our reporting software when we are inside the home. The GPS system, QRIDit, finds our client’s home via the address on Google Maps and prints out a QRID, which is then placed in our client’s home. This ensures that someone was actually at the home at the time of the inspection. There is also a QRIDit area in the services section of our website that provides a comprehensive video about this program.
What happens if I forget to tell you I am in town at my home and you come to do an inspection?
We will do our best to avoid these instances, but we really need our clients’ help in keeping us informed of when anyone is using their homes, otherwise we will perform the services as asked. As second-home homeowners ourselves, we never want to arrive into a home unannounced and take a chance of startling our clients or their guests. If this does happen and we have not been informed, we will have to charge our client for our time. To ensure that this does not happen very often, please call us or send us a quick email letting us know if the house will be occupied. Although we prefer to know as far in advance as possible, telling us the day before the homeowner’s arrival also provides enough notice.
Is Home Watch of Arizona a security company?
No, we are not a security company, nor do we take the place of one. Our scheduled inspections do offer some security because we are at the property regularly. We will obviously discover if the home has been broken into or if something has been vandalized, but we do not conduct daily patrols of the home like security companies.
Do you inspect my home after severe weather?
In Arizona, especially during the summer, both wind and rain from severe storms can cause extensive damage to homes. As a part of our service, we inspect all homes after severe storms. These inspections are conducted at half our normal rate and are just to ensure that there are no leaks or property damage. We do not perform a complete inspection after storms because we have many homes to check in a short period of time. However, if a regular inspection is scheduled a day or two after a storm, we will perform the full inspection for the regular price and not charge our clients for the storm inspection.
How do you communicate with us?
Our inspection reports are sent to our clients via email. If email is not an option, then we can either place a call or mail the inspection report. We find that mailing reports is counterproductive, since the lag time between inspections and the delivery of the report is too great. If there are any immediate problems that need to be discussed, we will always place a phone call from the home, as well as provide a report via email.
How do I pay for your services?
We will email, or if you request, mail you an invoice at regular intervals. You can mail us a check at that time or make other arrangements if necessary.
Do I have to pay for your services when I am using the property?
No. We only charge you when we do an inspection. There are no weekly or monthly fees charged for our services, just a per inspection fee.
Can you provide referral services if I need work done at my home?
Yes. We have a very extensive list of qualified licensed contractors and other vendors who can help with most of your needs.
What locations does your company provide services for in Arizona?
Home Watch of Arizona provides its service for the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, including the Biltmore area, North Phoenix, North Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Cave Creek, Carefree, and Fountain Hills
Among many developments in the greater metro Phoenix area, we have clients in McCormick Ranch, DC Ranch, Gainey Ranch, Scottsdale Ranch, Troon, Biltmore, Troon North, Ancala, Winfield, Legend Trails, Pinnacle Peak, Grayhawk, Desert Highlands and McDowell Mountain Ranch. However, as an ever-expanding company, please contact Home Watch of Arizona today to see if we service your area!