Home-watch service gives peace of mind.

Take the couple who closed their new Phoenix home for the summer without making arrangements to have their property checked. They returned in November to discover damage from a water leak. They had to replace the lower kitchen and bathroom cabinets and baseboards, drywall and mildewy carpets.

"If someone had been checking on their home, they would have noticed the water leak and taken care of it," says Jill Yancy, owner of While You Are Out, a home-watch service in the West Valley of Phoenix.

Homeowners who buy property in Greater Phoenix are advised by real estate agents and builders alike to hire someone to check their house regularly if they are not going to live there full time.

"The absolute number 1 reason to have someone look after your house is water damage," says Bill Swaim, customer service representative for Shea Homes at Trilogy, an active-lifestyle community in Peoria, Ariz. "Water can have the most devastating effect on a home."

Edmontonian Ronna Bremer, who bought a house west of Phoenix last summer, says her Realtor found her a house-watch service and gave her and her partner a list prepared by the builder outlining what they needed to do when closing their seasonal home for more than three weeks.

"Owning property in the south is completely different for us," explains Bremer. "My partner lived in the Arctic for 35 years and I spent 10 years in the N.W.T. Up there you worried about pipes freezing; you didn't worry about the heat and the bugs."

Swaim says it's the adverse changes in climate that can be so hard on the home.

"In a 24-hour period, we can have 50-degree swings in temperature -- from a low of 50 F (10 C) to a daytime high of 105 F (41 C)." He says the expansion and contraction caused by changes in temperature can cause drywall and wood to crack. Even plastics and cloth can be affected by the desert dryness.

"For those who live here part time, I am their eyes and ears," says Yancy, whose client list includes both seasonal and winter snowbirds from Canada, the U.S. and Europe. "When you are away, you don't know what is going on at your home. We walk through and around your house every week, or other week, and can spot something that could become a major problem."

She recalls one client who hired her before he closed for the season. He had just installed a waterfall in the backyard. "I came to check his house three days after he left and found the whole backyard flooded."

Home-watch services offer a variety of weekly or bimonthly packages. (Bimonthly rates average $60 US.) Most services commonly include exterior and interior inspection for damage, vandalism or pests; running faucets, dishwashers and washing machines; flushing toilets; checking thermostats and A/C filters; starting the vehicle; adding salt to water softeners and checking mail.

Additional services might include meeting service contractors for furniture deliveries, landscaping, minor repairs and pest control. Some businesses also provide concierge services such as buying groceries, flowers or wine for their returning clients. Many will offer an airport shuttle service, using your vehicle to pick you up and drop you off.

The house-watch service you retain should be licensed, bonded and insured. Finding someone in your neighbourhood or community is also an important consideration, adds Yancy. "If my client's alarm goes off, the alarm company calls me and I can go over to meet the police and turn it off."

George Roberts, a Realtor with Can-ix Realty, a Canadian-owned real estate company in Arizona, says seasonal homeowners should get to know their neighbours, who can also keep an eye on your place while you are away.

"If you've bought into an active adult community, the social life makes it easier to meet your neighbours," he adds.

The state-licensed and registered firm has sold more than 225 homes to western Canadians since it was established 2-1/2 years ago.

Roberts advises clients buying a condo to ask the manager how the place will be looked after in their absence.

Whether home-watch referrals come from your builder or the Yellow Pages, ask for references before you hire. "This is very important," says Swain. "These people will have access to your home. They must be reliable and trustworthy. If they say they will check your home every other week, you want to be sure they are not dropping by once a month."

Source edmonton journal