Professional Home Sitter Stories
Pro Home Watchers Share Some Experiences
An Unoccupied Home Is A Vulnerable Home™
It’s Not A Matter Of If. It’s A Matter Of When.
Bad Things Happen To Good Homes All The Time
We enter many of our homes through the garage using the key pad for access. I opened a client’s garage door one day to find water dripping onto their Jeep. A pipe sprung a leak through the ceiling, onto the car.
No biggie. It was a weekly visit and was discovered in the early stages. I pulled the Jeep out of the garage and had the plumber there within the hour to make the repair. The only damage was a water spot on the ceiling. I had the car washed and back to normal for the homeowner.
Neighbor Watch Gone Bad
A neighbor’s daughter was asked if she’d like to make a some extra money watching their 2nd home. A tree fell through their roof and allowed rain to cause further damage. The neighbor’s daughter and family where out of town on vacation allowing the situation to deteriorate.
They intend to be helpful but are often ill equipped to watch over your home. They are untrained and certainly not insured. Remember, they live in paradise too. If they are busy, have a tee time, or go on vacation, your home will not be their priority. Do they know how to help when a storm, fire, or other disaster is imminent?
Home Watching As A Hobby
They often start out as neighbors doing favors. They begin to bring on more clients and figure they now have a Home Watch company. Often, they never establish a business entity and many do not have insurance.
How do they know they are doing the right things? How do they increase their knowledge and skill level if they are not interacting with others in the same field? They are flying solo and have not been trained.
Questions To Ask Your Potential Home Watcher
Choosing someone to look after your home while you’re away isn’t trivial. Small issues such as water leaks, humidity, pests, and electrical faults can turn into major damage if no one catches them early. Many homeowners also don’t realize their insurance policy may expect regular occupancy checks. A quick primer can save a lot of guesswork.
This interview guide lays out practical, neutral questions you can ask any home watch provider, plus what solid answers generally sound like. It’s a straightforward way to understand service frequency, reporting, insurance, and backup plans so you can make an informed decision. If you want a simple checklist before you hire, it’s worth a look.