For seasonal & snowbird homeowners
Home watch for seasonal
& snowbird homeowners.
You close the house, drive north, and hope. This page explains what actually happens inside an empty Southwest Florida home, what Steven looks for on every visit, and what you get in writing afterwards.
Steven personally performs every visit. NHWA Accredited. Certified. Bonded & Insured.
The problem
An empty house in Florida is never idle.
Heat, humidity and salt air keep working while you are gone. A supply line weeps behind a vanity for six weeks. An air conditioner gives up in August and the interior climbs past ninety degrees with the doors shut. A drain trap dries out. Ants find a slab crack. None of it is dramatic on day one — that is the whole problem. Nobody is there on day one.
Home watch is the answer to that gap: a scheduled visual inspection of the home and property, looking for obvious issues, by someone who knows the house and reports what he finds. It is not alarm monitoring, not a security patrol, not insurance, and not a licensed real-estate home inspection. It is a set of trained eyes on your property while you are somewhere else.
On every visit
What Steven is watching for.
Every visit follows the same written protocol, so nothing depends on memory or on how busy the week was.
Humidity and interior air
A closed Florida house holds moisture. Steven confirms the thermostat and humidistat are still doing their job and looks for the damp, musty signs that follow when they are not.
Air conditioning
An HVAC system that quits in July turns a home into a greenhouse within days. Steven verifies the system is running and notes error codes, a tripped breaker or a clogged drain line.
Water and leaks
Under sinks, behind toilets, around the water heater, at the ceilings. Faucets and toilets are cycled so traps stay sealed instead of letting sewer gas back into the house.
Pest indicators
Droppings, nests, mounds, ant trails and entry points, inside and around the foundation — before they become an infestation you discover in November.
Storm and weather condition
After weather moves through, the exterior gets a ground-level look: roofline and gutters, screens, lanai, windows, doors and anything the wind moved.
Mail and packages
Accumulated mail and boxes on a doorstep advertise an empty house. They are retrieved and secured on every visit.
Exterior and landscaping
Siding, paint, irrigation, overgrowth and storm-vulnerable branches — the slow changes an owner only notices after months away.
Entry and intrusion signs
Doors, windows, garage and screens checked for tampering, and every opening re-secured before Steven leaves.
The outcome
Checked, documented, and reported.
Steven checks the property → documents the visit → alerts you if something is wrong → helps coordinate the next steps when work is needed.
That is the whole product. You are not buying a checklist; you are buying the outcome of one. After each visit you receive written confirmation of what was checked, with notes and photos where they matter. If something is off you hear from Steven directly — not a dispatcher, not a rotating technician — and he stays involved while it gets sorted out.
Home watch cannot prevent every loss. What it does is shorten the time between a problem starting and someone knowing about it, which is usually the difference between a repair and a claim.
Cadence
Weekly or bi-weekly — how it works.
Weekly suits homes left through the humid summer months, homes with older systems, waterfront properties, and owners who will be several states away for months at a time.
Bi-weekly suits shorter absences, newer construction, condos with building oversight, and owners who visit periodically themselves.
Not sure? Say so on the quote request. Steven will look at the property and your travel calendar and recommend one. A single key holder visit is also available when you only need one thorough walk-through during a trip.
Why it matters who
The same person, every visit.
Steven Makepeace is a United States Marine Corps veteran and the founder of Home Watch Solutions SWFL. He personally performs every visit, which is why he notices that a stain on a ceiling is new, or that the humidistat reads differently than it did last week. Home Watch Solutions SWFL is an accredited member of the National Home Watch Association, Steven is individually NHWA Certified, and the business is bonded and insured.
You will have his direct number. When you call, you reach the person who walks your home.
Questions homeowners ask
Straight answers.
- Who checks my house when I leave Florida for the summer?
- That is exactly what home watch is for. Steven Makepeace visits your Southwest Florida home on a weekly or bi-weekly schedule while you are away, follows a written protocol on each visit, and reports what he found.
- How often should a vacant Florida home be checked?
- Most seasonal owners choose weekly visits in the humid summer months and bi-weekly the rest of the year. Steven will recommend a cadence based on the home, its systems and how long you will be gone.
- Is home watch the same as house sitting?
- No. Nobody lives in or stays at your home. Home watch is a scheduled visual inspection of the property looking for obvious issues, documented each time.
- What documentation do I receive?
- A written report confirming the visit and what was checked, with notes and photos where something needs your attention.
- What happens if Steven finds a problem?
- You hear from him directly, with what he saw. If work is needed he acts as your on-site advocate and helps coordinate the trades and vendors so the home gets back to normal.
- When should I start service before leaving Florida?
- Reach out a few weeks before you travel. That leaves time to walk the home together, agree on the protocol and hand over access before your departure date.
Keep reading
Ready when you are
Leave for the season with peace of mind.
Steven personally performs every visit. NHWA Accredited. Certified. Bonded & Insured.