Why did you want to start a Home Watch Business?
We (me and Artie) really enjoyed helping people with overseeing their second homes and wanted to build a solid, family business.
Why National Home Watch Association (NHWA)?
When we (me and Artie) started thinking about helping people watch their homes, we started investigating and wanted to find a professional, established and accredited business that provides everything from initial training to ongoing support for the life of our business. For over 13 years the NHWA offered all of this and more from industry veterans, as well as liability insurance specific to Home Watch. This provided a comfort level we needed to launch our business in the best possible way, while also providing a level of trust we hadn’t seen in other businesses similar to Home Watch.
So, what makes A-Z Home Watch different? Why shouldn’t people utilize family, friends or neighbors to look after their homes?
- While friends and family want to help, it’s not their profession…it may feel like an obligation and their lives could get in the way.
- These folks can rarely help out on a regular/reliable schedule. Again, they have lives and will schedule your house around themselves, families and events. It’s nothing personal, it’s just life.
- This is all about mitigating risk…accidents, issues and mother nature happen. When these events do occur, it requires detailed documentation which includes date and time stamps for insurance purposes. We have dealt with a few situations where we’ve had to provide this type of information to our clients, that they then provide to their insurance companies.
What do you love about your A-Z Home Watch business and what makes you different?
The clients are the best part. They understand that they need a knowledgeable, trustworthy and reliable company to help them keep their homes safe and secure. Artie and I both enjoy our clients and the relationships we build with them. Providing that peace of mind, so they can sleep at night without worry, is something we value in the services we provide to our customers.
What makes us different is how we communicate with our client base. Communication is extremely important to us and our business. Making sure our customers can get in touch with us, know what’s going on with their property and that we’ve got everything covered to the best of our ability.
Tell us an interesting story about something you’ve encountered in your Home Watch business.
Sometimes clients forget things in a flurry as they’re leaving their home. In many cases, they won’t be back for a long period of time and have asked us to do regular visits (our standard services). In doing a regular check-in, the water to the house had been turned off but when we turned it on in preparation for their upcoming visit, we found that one of the faucets (in a master bath) had been left in the ‘open’ position. Without the 21-point inspection system, that may have been missed and could have caused severe damage to the home.
Want to hear from Doris directly? Check out all the A-Z interviews and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Our videos include some of the latest from 2022, including some key points for its customers and different scenarios every home owner should think about.
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