Jack Luber
Executive Director
Greetings.
Any homeowner that engages a professional Home Watch company to keep an eye on their second home understands the importance of what we do. And then there are some homeowners that don’t see the value of hiring an accredited, insured, bonded, and background-checked company that follows the procedures assembled by the NHWA. They are either willing to take the chance that nothing will happen to their empty home, or they are confident that a friend, neighbor or relative will have the experience, resources and know-how to manage anything that presents itself. To the latter, I’d like to introduce them to Hurricane Irma. Irma, say hello to these very trusting people.
Irma is a perfect example of why you need to hire an Accredited Member of the National Home Watch Association to keep an eye on things for you in your absence. I know that my Home Watch clients are confident in the fact that their homes have been protected as well as they can be from the impending storm. The storm plan that was customized to their home was implemented. And while there is no way to predict the amount of wind and rain that will actually affect their home, they know that everything that can be done, has been done. They know that there were pictures taken pre-storm, and there will be a post-storm visit made to their home once it is safe to get to it. Pictures, videos and, of course, phone calls will follow to help document any damage, but more importantly, allow them to breathe again. Believe me, I know the feeling. I was a second homeowner, living in NJ with my place at the beach in SC. There aren’t many things scarier than not knowing what’s happening when you are 700 miles away and helpless to take care of things yourself.
Wherever you live, whether it’s in the Pacific Northwest, the Great White North, the Plains of the Midwest, the deserts of the Southwest, or the beaches of the Sunshine State—if you own a second home … you need an advocate that will look after your home like it was theirs. You need a credible, trained representative that you have recourse with. Is your neighbor/friend/relative insured? If they make a mistake, will you resent them? Stop speaking to them? Look at them differently? They were doing you a favor, after all. If it came down to a limited amount of time to protect your home or theirs? If they were on vacation? If they got hurt on your property?
There are so many reasons to hire an Accredited Member of the NHWA. We may charge more, but how much is it worth feeling confident that everything that could be done was? If you do have a Home Watch provider and they aren’t accredited, ask them why they aren’t. Remember, accreditation in the NHWA means a lot. You can count on us.
Thanks for reading.