Home Watch Program

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Bluefish Property Management

Our Team Watches Your Investment

Bluefish Vacation Rentals & Property Management is fully accredited by the National Home Watch Association. Our off-season property management program is designed using Home Watch guidelines and visual inspections to give you peace of mind while you are away from your home.   

Weekly home inspections are important, and may even be required by your insurance company during an extended period of vacancy.  Our off-season property management service is an all-inclusive monthly fee with no long term contract.  Inspections are carried out weekly with reports, home photos and communication done through email.

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Find Out More About Bluefish Property Management

    Ever Worry About What’s Happening To Your
    Home When You’re Away For An Extended Period?

    Unoccupied homes are prime targets for burglars and vandals.

    The longer a home goes unoccupied, the more likely it is to be targeted.

    Unoccupied homes are also at risk for damage from roof leaks, pipe bursts, and other similar types of damage.

    Home Watch

    Weekly Property Inspections

    Home Watch is defined as a visual inspection of a home or property, looking for obvious issues.  A routine inspection visit includes weekly focus on:

    Home Exterior

    home living room

    • Pick up papers from the driveway.
    • Pick up any mail or packages and put them inside.
    • Do an external walk around the home; check doors, screens, and windows to make sure they’re secure.
    • Check roof, chimney, and gutters for any obvious problems.
    • Look for signs of vandalism.
    • Look for any insect or rodent issues.
    • Check the garage to make sure it’s functional and is closed and secure.
    • Check the exterior lights to make sure that they are functional.
    • Check the hot tub and pool water levels.
    • Garbage and recycling bins brought out to curb and returned to your home per township’s ordinance.

    Home Interior

    home exterior

    • Check the alarm system.
    • Check for mold or unusual odors.
    • Check that all lights are working.
    • Walk through the inside of the home, making sure all doors and windows are secured.
    • Run all faucets, showers, garbage disposals, and flush toilets, checking for any leaks.
    • Do a visual inspection of ceilings and walls to ensure there are no active leaks.
    • Check for evidence of rodents or insects.
    • Check A/C and/or heater to ensure they are set to the owner’s preferred temperature.
    • Check the breaker box for any tripped breakers.
    • Check that smoke detectors are working.
    • Check all furniture for damage.
    • Check that the refrigerator is on and that the water lines are running.

    Grounds

    home patio

    • Check the patio, porch and/or furniture.
    • Check that faucets and hoses are turned off.
    • Check for evidence of unauthorized entry, vandalism, and weather-related problems (fallen branches, displaced patio furniture, etc.).
    • Monitoring of erosion or pathways/stairs down to the lake.

    What Our Off-season Property Management Clients Say

    Name: Josephine Ryan
    Property: The Oasis

    Bluefish Vacation Rentals has managed our property for 5 years.  We switched from another firm that we had been with 10 years, and the difference is night and day. Jason feels like a real partner in this venture and is a fount of resources, connections, and market information. Everyone from Bluefish that we encounter, from the office staff, to the cleaners, to the full-time handyman/contractor is very supportive and go out of their way to help.  

    The crew who helps prepare the cottage between stays is detail-oriented and conscientious.  The cottage always sparkles on check-in day, with care given inside and out. Since we live 2 hours away, this level of service makes my life so much easier, and it keeps the guests happy and coming back! We get great comments about Bluefish in online reviews and in our guest book. We have a high rate of repeat bookings every year, with several families coming back for their 3rd or 4th stay this summer.  

    In the last few years, Jason has:

    • checked for a frozen pipe in sub-zero weather (it was), and arranged for the extensive repairs
    • given us guidance on setting our rates (quite a bit higher than I thought possible!) 
    • found an animal removal guy to pull a dead racoon out of our crawl space … on a Sunday 
    • personally purchased, delivered, and hooked up a new DVD player to our guests during a driving rainstorm when ours broke
    • referred an excellent local insurance agent which saved us money on our annual policy
    • always been very available and responsive.  I’d estimate the average wait time to hear back on a text is usually 10 minutes or less.

    Jason, Erika and the Bluefish team are great to work with and we’re so happy we found them.