LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Profile |
by Fay Jacobs |
Who's Watching Your Home? How often do we say, in the face of a close call, "Boy, somebody's looking out for me!" If you live here at the beach and go away for a winter, a week or between weekends, somebody can be looking out for youall the time. That's because Rehoboth's own Bill McManus and his staff at Beach Home Watch can be on the job for you. Bill, a former financial planner and corporate trainer and his partner David Nelson did what lots of folks from the Washington, Baltimore or Philadelphia areas have donefour years ago they exchanged the stress, traffic and corporate worlds they inhabited for a simpler life in Rehoboth Beach. Trading on his experience in the business world, Bill's entrepreneurial spirit kicked in and he began thinking about the kinds of services people here could use, and whether he might be able to fit the bill. After hearing disastrous tales of people returning to the beach from the city only to find gallons of water coursing through their living rooms from broken hoses, or damage claims denied by insurance because nobody had been home for over thirty days, he saw a need for Beach Home Watch. So, Bill got into the peace of mind business. He put together a comprehensive property watch service for second homeowners, and partnered with a concierge service to provision beach homes for weekends or vacations. As part of Beach Home Watch, Bill sends his team to inspect pools and spas, check out appliances, heating and cooling, make sure home plumbing and electrical systems are okay, check for storm damage, and even water the newly planted trees. Each client can work with Bill to design a tailor-made checklist to meet their needs and Home Watch will provide the homeowner with written reports on the date and time of the inspections. "You really have to trust somebody to watch your property," Bill says, noting that his business is professional, licensed, bonded and insured. Beach Home Watch can do twice-a-month inspections, with staff making sure the toilets aren't running up a water bill or there are no squatters in the house. "Actually, in a resort area this can be a problem," Bill says. Lots of folks tell tales of people returning to their homes only to find someone making themselves at home in a place that isn't theirs. In fact, this reporter once had a whole family camping out on weekdays in her condo. They were pretty tidy, but nevertheless it was creepy when it was discovered. So Beach Home Watch can be on the look-out for uninvited guests, from teams of squatters to annoying wildlife, to gallons and gallons of gushing or seeping water. "That's another big problem," says Bill, noting that clients have told him about situations where water hoses or appliance connections have broken and have not been discovered for more than a month. Locally, weekenders or Snow Birds have had their homes deluged, ruining carpets and furnitureand in some cases requiring the removal of rooms full of soggy drywall. According to Bill, nearly all insurance policies have a clause stating that you must occupy your home at least every 30 days. If a loss occurs and the insurance company can prove that no one was in the property, the company has the right to deny the claim, causing great financial loss. In fact, if there is a problem, Beach Home Watch produces written reports with the damage documented. Lots of times that can be the difference between a claim paid and a claim denied. "We will provide peace of mind," says Bill, but if there is a problem, the service will prevent lots of hassles, too. But how about a cold martini? "That's when their partnering concierge service kicks in. Kathleen Liebel, who operates Concierge by the Sea, is teaming up with Beach Home Watch on the provisioning side of the equation. Customers can have their refrigerators stocked with tonic and lime, wine and cheese or whatever will make their arrival at their beach home a celebration. Need the dry cleaning picked up, the liquor cabinet stocked or the pumpkins exchanged for holiday decorations? Beach Home Watch can do it. For further peace of mind, Bill McManus is not just someone who has come to town to make a buck. He's involved in the community through CAMP Rehoboth, Rehoboth Beach Main Street, and Team Rehoboth for the Gay Games. In fact, Bill is currently making plans to put together a fantastic Team Rehoboth for the 2010 games in Cologne Germany. I'm sure he'd like to hear from athletes (and we use this in the broadest sense, as this reporter is going to Cologne on a Rehoboth golf team!) As we get into the "off season" (if there is one anymore around here!) residents and weekenders are planning trips to sunny Florida or the Caribbean. If travelers want to sleep better at night, Beach Home Watch is available to shoulder the stress. Call Beach Home Watch at 302-227-2104 or go online to www.beachhomewatch.biz. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 17, No. 15 November 21, 2007 |