Home Watch Recommendations Needed
 

Hello, we are newbies to TV and have contacted several home watch services with no luck. They are either booked or do not respond to their email/phone provided.

Do you have a good recommendation for a trustworthy company or individual to check on our home in McClure while we are away during the month of August?

Thank you so much!

the villages has a neighborhood watch that will come round to check on your house daily. I think its very low $. Also, newspapers, mail put on hold while your gone. Have timers on inside lights that will go on an off. Let your close neighbors know, when you are going and coming back. Give them 'key" to get in In an emergency. Make sure lawn maintained. Give a contact number to The Neighborhood Watch.

It's actually called Community Watch, and they have a home watch service for $5.35 per week. But, they only check the outside of your house. They do not go inside. I think an outside camera would accomplish the same thing.

OP - i have a great home watch company (and reasonable). It’s a husband/wife and wife’s mom. They do house cleaning and home watch.
I got a text the day Elsa passed through that they walked through the house and got a status on the yard.
Message me for details

I like Empty Nest, the Villages Property Management. They open my home before I come. When furniture arrived they stayed while it was put in place and sent me photos of how it looked. Same with installation of appliances and I could not be there. They check the irrigation and sinks etc They will call my lawn services etc if anything needs to be looked after. It’s as if I was there myself. :) I had a problem with an installer and since Empty Nest was the contact while I was not there, they sorted it out for me. They are not inexpensive, about $100 a month for me, but you get what you pay for.

give Clark Barrios a call at 352.217.7758

very trustworthy

We have community watch from TV and are very content with them. As stated all outside.

The best thing is to get one or two security cameras inside and outside, that way you know your lawn is being cut and your inside is not being ravaged by a squirrel

Don't you have any trustworthy neighbors.

We’re also new to TV. We just hired a guy yesterday who checks inside and out. PM me for more details.

Hi. Can you provide me the name of the couple that di the home watch? Rick

Give us a call!
 

Affordable Home Watch.

Dont you have any neighbors willing to help out? I never use a watch service. My neighbors and I take care of each other

My neighbor has a home watch service that he provides. LB Melton. 352-445-7486. Sorry I cannot remember his business name but his wife is Frida and she is also a realtor.
I exchanged emails with another guy who I do not know but he is a retired cop and does this service. His email is fiveohhomewatch@gmail.com

Good luck,

Lonny

Hi yes the wife and I do home watch. We are here full time and live in Chitty Chatty
 

Hi wife and I would be interested we live in Chitty chatty full time. If interested give me a call . Thanks Jim 978-337-1690

I am a handyman and do a lot of work in The Villages.
I have also done home watching for several clients.
I'd be happy to look after your home while your away in August. I am having carpal tunnel surgery done on the 14th of July and will not be working for several weeks, so be happy to do that for you.
Here is my contact info :

Manny The Handyman, LLC
352-530-2583 home
610-570-5303 cell
gemini5001@aol.com

Try Bernie Coluccio. He has a local handyman and home watch company. B&B III Home Services. 352-561-4449.
bb3homeservices@gmail.com

We use Empty nest through the villages Great communication and super affordable.
Encaretakers@thevillages.com
352-750-1595

Call Too Old Cops, John at 352-277-7783 or Steve at 860-941-8038. Retired police officers and live in TV

Get a neighbor. The companies are a rip off.

if you are only going for a month you don't need anyone

Stock the fridge and liquor cabinet.
Give neighbor me a key.

Mom .... Dad... I promise no house parties.
lol

Best Home Watch Ever!
 

Sunbird Home Inspections, LLC, 352-272-8150. Licensed home inspection company that also performs home watch service. Checked on my place alder Elsa, sent pics and a detailed note of house condition.

We hired them to do the inspection on our house when we purchased it in 2019. Report was very detailed and complete. Found out they also did home watch so hired them to check our place during the summer months when we are north.

I get a detailed report with pics each time Sunbird checks the place. Very reasonable. The owner is very knowledgeable. Highly recommended!

Also, beware of Empty Nest. They contract out home watch service to individual contractors. Different ones will visit your home each time. I’m not even sure they come inside when they say they do. I had water running because they didn’t turn the water off when the last one left and they next one never reported it, instead reporting that all was OK.

Would you recommend a Security camera to buy? What brand and cost? Do they have to be installed by a professional?
Thanks,

Home Watch Squad
352-445-0983

That’s not my experience. For years I had the same couple look after my home. When there was an emergency (an appliance needed to be fixed) and they were not available the supervisor himself came out. After “my couple” retired, I kept in touch with them. Empty Nest sent another person who ignored a request I made - after I complained she was never sent to my place again. My cameras show everything. Very happy with Empty Nest.

I found the NEST cameras are the easiest to operate.
I had a nest doorbell put in (Munn’s does it - they have a whole smart home division).
I also had Munns put in a NEST thermostat.

You need a smart phone to operate, but its easy

Home watch
 

We are snowbirds since 2003. We tried several private home watch with no luck! Now we use the Empty Nest program of The Villages. The are professional and easy to work with. They send us reports every after their visits, what they did and what they found. They drive our golf cart around the block, start our car (they are not allowed to drive it around). We could be happier leaving out home to these trustworthy people! We cannot thank them enough.

Home watch
 

We are snowbirds since 2003. We tried several private home watch with no luck! Now we use the Empty Nest program of The Villages. The are professional and easy to work with. They send us reports every after their visits, what they did and what they found. They drive our golf cart around the block, start our car (they are not allowed to drive it around). We could not be happier leaving our home to these trustworthy people! We cannot thank them enough.

They are terrible and you pay crazy money because of their name. Get a referral from anyone else but stay away from them ! Unreliable inconsistent stay clear

We personally know and highly recommend the integrity of Don and Brenda Cunningham, 352.391.2564 352.272.9924

Did you read my post at all?

I gave the home watch a lot of thought - it comes down to trust….
Who do you trust to be in your home every week.
Any company can print up a check list, email it to you, etc - but it comes down to the gut feel of the person who will be in your house week after week.

Only you can make the price/value equation. I can find cheap and expensive home watch people;
only you can say that $100 a month is too expensive or I trust this person a lot and $35 a month is a fair price.
And like every service provider, there will be customers who had great experiences with them and customers who had terrible experiences. Up to you to do due diligence.

Just make sure they are insured and bonded. If a problem arises there is a backup if damage happens. As for asking a neighbor, that would be the last thing I would do. What if they missed something that caused damage, then what. One of our neighbors had a friend check on their house, forgot to turn off the water, toilet started leaking, water damage bathroom, and closet. Plus the large water bill. Home was being checked every 2 weeks, so lots of water in 2 weeks

Doing a favor and missing something can cause the person doing the watching a problem also. No good deed goes unpunished.

I'm down to only watching one house for a neighbor because they are so nice I can't say no. I had them sign a letter that holds me harmless just in case. :clap2:

I would turn off the house main water valve and leave it off. Some people think they need to have someone come into their house, turn on the water, and flush the toilets on a regular basis. In my opinion, that is a bad idea. Toilet leaks are the most common reason for flooding in a house.

We personally know and highly recommend the integrity of Don and Brenda Cunningham, 352.391.2564 352.272.9924

I think you want to flush the toilet to keep the seal on the bottom from drying out. Once every month or two is probably adequate.

You want someone inside, in case the rain from a week ago resulted in a leak.

It seems as though the neighbor's flood damage would be covered by their homeowners insurance. I doubt that any insurance that a home watch company had would be a primary payer. But, if you want the home watch company to have insurance, you need to get a letter from their insurance company stating what it covers, the limits of coverage, and the current status of the premium payments. I suspect that very few people actually require that type of proof.