Frequently Asked Questions

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.

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.

All Home Watch inspections are conducted by John Hogg, Owner of Home Watch of Arizona; or by one of our highly qualified and experienced field inspectors.

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.

Yes, we will take calls at any time for emergency issues.

Providing an accurate quote over the phone is challenging without first conducting an onsite assessment of the property. Understanding the size and specific characteristics of a residence is essential in determining the most appropriate services for our clients. Pricing for standard properties, such as condominiums, begins at $50 per visit, with costs adjusted according to property complexity. A comprehensive discussion of fees will occur following an evaluation of the home and identification of any unique requirements.

Yes we are licensed and insured to offer our services in Arizona.

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.

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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Yes. We have a very extensive list of qualified licensed contractors and other vendors who can help with most of your needs.

Home Watch of Arizona primarily provides its service for the Scottsdale and surrounding areas including Paradise Valley, Biltmore, Arcadia, Cave Creek, Carefree, and Fountain Hills.