Johnathan,
A home watch service is where you contract with your clientèle (checking to see if spell check does that again
) to check the house on a scheduled basis and check / do certain things.
Check for stains at the upper floor ceiling from roof leaks.
Check for stains at windows for leaks.
Check to make sure all windows are closed and not broken.
Bring mail, paper and packages in.
Check to make sure ... you make the list.
You can also include ... to meet service workers at the house, and be there with them if the client requests that ... you could water interior and exterior plants ... check the pool and call the pool service person if needed ... keep heat or a/c as prescribed temperatures ... raise / lower that temperature the day of / day before the clients return ... cover the furniture with sheets to keep dust off / remove sheets before clients return ... sweep / vacuum / dust as needed to keep things clean and neat ... the list is endless, all depending on who your clients are and what they are willing to pay for.
We had one client who lived in Belgium and had a large house (about $3 mil at the time, now more like $10 mil) on Sunset Island IV in Miami Beach who would come over several times a year for two weeks, and would allow friends to come over when he was gone, we would keep everything ready for everyone, all he did was call. We were doing major renovation work as the 1991 addition was settling away from the 1938 house (house was on grade beams and pilings, the addition was not ... big oops someone made there) so doing those things, and others, was not a problem.
But after starting to do more for more people, we realized we were getting into more than we wanted, so we weaned everyone off us.
Like I said, you can offer as much as you want, it depends on your clients and what they want as to what they will go for.
Many of the places I inspected had people who did that for the owners, these were the people who would open the house for me and come by to make sure I locked the house back up. Some of these people would take the owners to the airport and pick them up when the owners came back.
It was a real waste of money to see a $15 mil house being used once or twice a year for one - two - three weeks each time. But, hey, if you have the money ...