Hardy, Virginia · Between Bedford and Lynchburg
Home watch in Hardy, Virginia
The owner. Former Force Recon Marine. Former insurance adjuster.
Checked like a recon patrol. Documented like a claim file.
Hardy lines the Franklin County side of Smith Mountain Lake, a mix of lake homes, cabins, and year round houses on wooded roads off Route 122. When those owners winter somewhere warm or leave for weeks at a time, the house sits empty at the end of a quiet road. Adam Sable checks those homes himself, on a schedule.
The empty-house problem, lake edition
An empty house at the end of a quiet road needs a schedule, not a favor
Hardy owners tend to rely on whoever is nearby: a neighbor, a relative one county over, someone who means well and checks when they remember. That works until it does not, and there is no record of any of it. A burst pipe, a failed sump pump, or a roof leak after a storm can run for weeks between favors, and none of it leaves proof anyone was ever there.
The quiet risks are the expensive ones. A pipe that splits in a January cold snap can run until the water bill or a neighbor notices. A supply line seeps behind a washing machine for a month. None of it waits for you to get back, and by the time anyone walks in, the first question from the insurance side is always the same: when was somebody last in this house?
Force Recon Home Watch covers Hardy as part of one tight local ring around Smith Mountain Lake. Adam lives in Bedford, a short drive away, and he is the only person who ever enters your home: no employees, no subcontractors, no rotating stranger sent out from a company office in another town.
How it works
The same 30 point check, every visit
The walk-through
Front yard and driveway walked, roof and gutters checked from the ground, every door and window pulled, latched, and locked. Inside: thermostat, temperature, and humidity recorded, ceilings and walls checked for leak stains, sinks checked by hand, faucets run, toilets flushed, water heater checked, breakers and detectors tested, mail and packages brought inside.
The photo report
Within 24 hours of every visit you get a dated photo report: front, both sides, back, and interior overviews, with a notes line in Adam's own words about anything he handled at your house that day.
If damage is found
You get a call while Adam is still at the property, photos on the spot if you want them, and the full damage report the same day. That record is yours to hand your insurer: dated proof of when the house was last checked and what condition it was in.
Built for Hardy homes
A dated record for every visit, not a neighbor doing a favor
Half the value in Hardy is that the checks happen whether anyone remembers or not. Mail and packages never pile up, the drive gets walked every couple of weeks, and every visit ends with a dated photo report in your inbox within 24 hours: front, both sides, back, and interior overviews. That record is the whole difference between a favor and a service.
Wooded lots bring their own problems: limbs down after every storm, gutters loading up with leaves, pests looking for a warm crawlspace. Adam checks the roof and gutters from the ground each visit, records thermostat, temperature, and humidity, checks under every sink by hand, and eyeballs the water heater, so a slow problem gets caught in days instead of discovered in a month.
For snowbirds the rhythm is simple: sign up before you leave, checks run while you are gone, and most clients pause for the summer and resume when they head south again. A seasonal closing before a long winter away shuts the house down properly, and an opening in the spring brings it back the right way. And if something small needs doing while you are gone, he just does it: a package out of the rain, a limb out of the drive. Repairs are never the service. Bigger jobs bill as the add-on they are, quoted first, with photos before and after.
Pricing
One flat rate, no tiers
The minimum plan. A check every two weeks while you are away, each ending with a dated photo report.
For finished basements, older water heaters, or anyone who wants a tighter rhythm through the coldest stretch of winter.
Weekly checks at the same flat $100 per visit, for deep winter, storm season, or a house mid-sale.
Month to month, cancel anytime, no contract or setup fee. Gone for just a few weeks? A one-time house check is $250: the full 30 point check, mail and packages brought inside, and a deluxe photo report with a written summary of findings. Seasonal opening or closing runs $250 each, and add-ons like a roof walk ($150), attic check ($50), and crawlspace check ($75) stack at flat prices.
Questions
Asked by Hardy owners
Do you need my name?
No. Plenty of owners keep their name out of it, and that is fine here. Adam needs the property address, an email for the reports, and a phone number for damage calls. Your name is yours to share or not.
What happens if you find damage?
You get a call while Adam is still at the property, even if you are three time zones away on a beach. He can live-video with you or send photos on the spot, and the full damage report reaches you the same day. It is yours to give your insurer: dated proof of when the home was checked and its condition. He documents. He does not negotiate claims.
What if something small needs doing?
If it is small and quick, Adam just handles it: a limb dragged out of the driveway, a tipped trash can set right, packages brought in. No charge. He is not a maintenance man, so repairs are not part of the service. Bigger jobs are billed as the add-on they are, with photos before and after.
Can I cancel?
Anytime. Month to month, no contract or fee, and any paid visit that is not delivered is refunded at $100 per visit, plus that visit's per-visit add-ons. Snowbirds usually pause for the summer and resume in November. Cancel online from the Current clients page, right away or at the end of a month you pick, and your key comes back within 7 days.
Is this the same as hiring a property manager?
No, and that is the point. A property manager rents your house out and takes a cut of the rent. Home watch is for a house that sits empty: scheduled checks, a dated photo record, and one flat price with no phone call needed to start. See the full comparison: Home Watch vs. Property Manager.