Home watch
Home Watch Services on Harkers Island, NC
Your house sits closed up in salt air, summer humidity and hurricane season. We put eyes on it on a set schedule, catch the quiet failures early, and send you a written report with photos after every visit.
What a visit covers
- Interior walkthrough: HVAC, humidity, plumbing, appliances, water intrusion
- Exterior walkthrough: roofline, decking, docks, pilings, salt film and corrosion
- Security check: doors, windows, alarm, cameras, water sensors, smart locks
- Pest and moisture check in attics, laundry rooms and crawl spaces
- Power and generator verification after every outage
- Pre-storm preparation and post-storm inspection during hurricane season
- Written, photographed report in your portal after every single visit
Working from a checklist matters more than the number of visits. Ours is published in full — read the coastal home watch checklist we run on every property.
How the schedule works
Every two weeks
The baseline for a second home that sits empty most of the month. Enough to catch a failed HVAC unit or a slow leak before it spreads.
Weekly, June through November
Hurricane season on Harkers Island moves fast. Weekly visits keep storm prep ready rather than reactive, and photos current for insurance.
On call, always
Alarm calls, freeze warnings, contractor access and post-storm checks happen whenever they need to, not only on the calendar.
Where we work
Harkers Island is home, and we run regular routes across the rest of Carteret County.
Home watch questions we get asked
What is a home watch service?
Home watch is a scheduled, documented inspection of an unoccupied home. A porter walks the interior and exterior on a set rhythm, checks the systems that fail quietly — humidity, plumbing, HVAC, power, security — and sends you a written report with photos after every visit. It is not house sitting and it is not a drive-by security patrol.
How much do home watch services cost?
Pricing depends on the size of the property, how often you want visits, and whether the plan includes boat, dock or vehicle care. Most Harkers Island owners settle on either every-two-weeks or weekly visits during hurricane season. We build a written plan and a flat monthly rate after walking the property with you, so there are no per-visit surprises.
How often should an unoccupied coastal home be checked?
Every two weeks is the practical minimum on the Carolina coast, and weekly during hurricane season or a hard freeze. Salt air, humidity and wind-driven rain do their damage slowly; the point of home watch is catching the small thing before it becomes an insurance claim.
Does home watch satisfy an insurance vacancy inspection requirement?
Many carriers require documented periodic inspections while a home sits vacant. Every visit we make ends with a timestamped, photographed report stored in your client portal, which is the record most carriers ask for. Send us your policy language and we will match the visit schedule to it.
What happens when a storm is coming?
Before a named storm we stage shutters, secure or store anything that can become a projectile, handle the boat according to the plan set at the start of the season, photograph the property for insurance, and shut off water and non-essential power if evacuation is ordered. As soon as the bridge reopens we inspect and report.
Talk to a porter about your property
We take on a small number of properties on purpose. Call the office at 252-528-8622 or send a note and we will walk the house with you.
Contact us