Vistancia Home Watching › Choosing a home watcher

How to choose a home watch company

You're giving someone the keys to an empty house. These are the questions worth asking before you do, from anyone, including us.

Questions to ask any home watcher

Ask these on the first call. A good company will answer them plainly:

Are you insured? Can you send proof?
Who will actually come into my home, and have they had a background check?
What do you check on every visit? Is it written down?
What does a report look like, and when will I get it?
Can you prove you were actually at my home, and when?
What happens if you find a problem? How will you tell me?
How are my keys and alarm codes kept?
How far away are you, and how many homes do you look after?
What does it cost, and what's included in that price?

Red flags

Be careful if a company:

Won't put its checklist or its prices in writing
Can't tell you who will be entering your home
Can't show you proof they were at the house, beyond their word
Sends reports without photos, or only when something's wrong
Is a long drive from your house, so storm checks and scheduled visits are an afterthought

How we answer those questions

We're insured. Jake Richardson does the visits himself, and he has passed significant background checks and holds a State of Arizona fingerprint clearance card.

Every visit follows the same written checklist and starts with a QR scan at your home that records the date, time and our GPS position; the report can only be completed while we're on your property, and it comes with photos and notes you can open from anywhere. We live in Vistancia, a few minutes from the homes we watch. And our prices are on this site: $60 per visit for homes up to 2,500 square feet and $70 for larger homes.

Common questions

Should a home watcher have a background check?

Yes. Ask who will enter your home and what screening they've had. Ours hold State of Arizona fingerprint clearance cards.

What should a home watch report include?

What was checked, what was found, and photos, on the day of the visit. Ours are recorded in QRIDit.

How can I tell a home watcher really visited?

Ask what proof you'll get. Ours starts every visit with a QR scan at your home that records the date, time and GPS position, and the report can only be completed on site.

Want someone checking on your home?

We live in Vistancia and check homes here all year. Tell Sage what's going on with your home, any hour.

Ask Sage

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