The Briefing Room
Whoever holds your keys has more access to your life than your accountant. Ask these before you decide, including of us.
North Idaho has no license specifically for home watch. Anyone with a truck and a business card can offer it, and plenty do. Some are excellent. The point of these questions is not to catch anyone out; it is to make sure you understand exactly who is in your house, what they are checking, and what happens when something goes wrong. Ask them of every provider you talk to. We have put our own answers after each one.
You want a name, not a company. Our answer: Jeremy or Heather. We have no employees. Specialists we bring in for a specific job work under NDA and non-compete, and we are on site with them.
Ask for the policy, not the promise. Our answer: Idaho Contractor License #1871769, with liability coverage carried under that license, and we will send you the certificate of insurance before the first visit. If your situation calls for more, we will add it.
If they cannot show you the list, there is no list. Our answer: a published 15-point exterior and 15-point interior walkthrough. Here it is.
A text saying “all good” is not a report. Our answer: a photo-documented report the same day, filed in your Private Estate Ledger with every past visit.
Listen for a process, not a reassurance. Our answer: we take protective action per the written protocol you signed, call you, and dispatch a vendor within the spending authority you set. Nothing above your threshold happens without your approval.
Your absence pattern is sensitive information. Our answer: the two of us, and the specialists under NDA only for the job they are doing. Codes are not written on anything that leaves the property.
Both answers are fine; what matters is that they tell you which. Our answer: both. We are a licensed contractor and handle light repairs and maintenance under Evergreen and Heritage. Specialty trades go to vetted vendors, at cost, with receipts.
You want one monthly statement with pass-through expenses itemized and receipts attached. Our answer: that is how we do it. Materials and vendors are passed through at cost.
Anyone who will not put it in writing should not have a key. Our answer: a written agreement. Home Watch is month to month with 30 days’ notice. Stewardship plans carry a three-month initial term, then month to month.
Before you sign with anyone, walk the house with them once. Watch what they look at. If they head for the thermostat and the mechanical room before they look at the view, you are probably in good hands.
A private consultation is a conversation, not a sales call. Bring every question on this list and any we missed.
Special Care Estates is operated by Specials Home Selling Team LLC. Walkthroughs are visual, non-invasive checks and are not a licensed home inspection.