Home watch for second homes in Sun Valley and Ketchum
A local walks through your empty house every week, checks the heat, the water, the roof and everything that fails when nobody's there, and texts you the photos. $75 a visit, $250 a month weekly.
- $75 a visit or $250 a month for weekly. No contract beyond the month.
- Inside and out: heat, water, fixtures, appliances, roof, eaves, doors. Photos texted same day.
- Problem found, you hear right then. Small fixes handled, big ones we meet your plumber.
How much does home watch cost in Sun Valley and Ketchum?
$75 for a single visit, $250 a month for weekly visits. Each visit is a full interior and exterior walkthrough with a photo report texted to you the same day.
No contract beyond the month. Start weekly in November when you leave, stop in April when you're back. Add a visit before you arrive to turn the heat up and check the driveway.
What is a home watch service?
Someone local walks through your empty house on a schedule, checks the things that fail when nobody's there, and sends you photos so you know rather than hope.
The things that go wrong in an empty valley house in winter are boring and expensive: a furnace that quits at -10, a pipe that freezes in the crawlspace, a roof leak from an ice dam, a freezer that died in December and gets found in March. A weekly set of eyes catches all of them while they're still small.
What does each visit include?
Outside: roof, eaves, gutters, doors, windows, driveway, any sign of animals or people. Inside: heat, water, every sink and appliance, a flush and a run of every fixture, and photos of all of it.
- Thermostat read and photographed. If the house is colder than it should be, you hear about it before we leave the driveway.
- Under every sink, around the water heater, furnace room, laundry. Water is the thing we're looking for.
- Faucets run and toilets flushed so traps don't dry out and sewer gas doesn't come up.
- Fridge and freezer opened. Mail and packages brought in.
- Outside: icicles along the eaves, snow load on the roof, drifted doors, tracks in the snow that shouldn't be there.
Found something? We text photos right then. Need the eaves raked? That's roof snow removal, and the same crew can do it on the next visit.
Who is this for?
Second-home owners who leave the house empty for weeks at a time, and anyone whose insurance requires regular winter checks.
If you're in Sun Valley for Christmas and Presidents' Day and the house sits dark the rest of the winter, this is for you. It's also for the local who's in Arizona until April and has a neighbor doing it as a favor. The neighbor isn't checking under the sinks.
Condo in Elkhorn, owners in Dallas until February. Wednesday visit: thermostat at 55 as set, all dry under the sinks, fixtures run, two packages brought in, icicles starting on the north eaves. Six photos texted by noon with a note suggesting a roof rake before the next storm. Owner says yes by text; rake done Friday.
Who is this not for?
Houses that need daily checks, pet care, or full property management with rentals and guest turnover.
We're the weekly set of eyes, not the property manager. If you rent the house out, your manager should be doing turnover checks and you probably don't need us. If you need something between weekly and daily, text us; we can usually make it work.
Home watch pricing
Prepaid monthly, no contract beyond the month.
- Single visitFull walkthrough with photo report$75
- Weekly, per monthFour visits a month, same day each week$250
- Add-onsArrival prep, package pickup, letting in a tech, errandsText for a quote
Questions second-home owners ask
What does a home watch visit actually check?
Exterior walk: roof, gutters, icicles, doors, windows, signs of entry or animals. Interior walk: heat is running and set where you left it, no water on floors or ceilings, under every sink, water heater, furnace room, fridge and freezer, faucets run, toilets flushed, nothing smells wrong. Photos of each, texted to you.
Do I need to give you a key?
A lockbox or a door code is easiest. We can also pick up a key from your property manager or neighbor. Keys are logged and never labeled with the address.
What happens if you find a problem?
We text you immediately with photos. If it's water, we shut off the supply if we can reach it. Then it's your call: we can wait for your plumber, meet them, or handle small things ourselves.
Does my insurance require this?
Many policies on second homes require the house be checked regularly during winter, often weekly or every 72 hours, for the water damage coverage to hold. Check your policy; the photo report we send is the proof most carriers want.
Can you do extra things while you're there?
Yes: run the car, bring in packages, let the furnace tech in, start the heat before you arrive, stock the fridge from a list. Text us what you need and we'll quote it.
Do I have to be a weekly customer?
No. A single visit is $75. Weekly is $250 a month because that's what most empty houses need and what most insurers want.
What else we do this season
Same crew, same booking, one trip if you book more than one.
- Holiday lightsfrom $695 · Supplied, hung, serviced, taken down and stored.
- Gutter cleaningfrom $195 · Cleaned, flushed, hauled, photographed. Before the ice.
- Roof snow and shovelingfrom $85 · Eaves raked after storms. Driveway and walk cleared.