Traverse City · Leelanau · Old Mission
Scheduled inspections, a photo report after every visit, and a local you can call when the ice storm hits. For seasonal residents, snowbirds and second-home owners.
Fully insured · Locally owned in Traverse City
Visit report
SampleLakeview cottage · Tue 9:42 AM · 38 photos
We'll send photos and a quote from a local gutter pro. Nothing is done without your OK.
Small problems become big ones when nobody's there for weeks. A regular set of eyes catches them early.
A furnace that quits in January can flood a home before anyone notices.
Storms knock out power, heat, sump pumps and freezers. We check after the lights come back.
Ice dams, roof loads, downed limbs and mice looking for a warm place to winter.
Many policies have vacancy rules. Our dated, photo-backed reports show your home was being looked after.
Every visit
We follow a checklist built for your home during the first walkthrough, inside and out, then send a time-stamped report with photos before we pull out of the driveway.
✓ Heat, thermostat & furnace
✓ Leaks at sinks, toilets, water heater
✓ Sump pump & basement
✓ Fridge, freezer & appliances
✓ Smoke & CO alarms
✓ Signs of pests or mold
✓ Run water, flush toilets
✓ Doors, windows & locks
✓ Roof line, gutters, ice dams
✓ Snow removal done right
✓ Storm or tree damage
✓ Mail, packages & flyers
✓ Signs of entry or tampering
✓ Dock, boat lift & outbuildings
Plans & pricing
Month-to-month, cancel any time. No trip fees for plan members. Prices are for homes up to 3,000 sq ft in our core service area.
Founding client offer: the first 10 winter clients get Weekly Watch for $179/month, locked in for 12 months.
For newer homes and condos with a smart thermostat.
$129 /month
✓ 2 visits a month
✓ Full inside & outside checklist
✓ Photo report after every visit
✓ Phone & text alerts if anything's wrong
✓ Vendor coordination
The standard for a Northern Michigan winter.
$199 /month
✓ Weekly visits
✓ Everything in Essential
✓ 1 storm or outage check a month included
✓ Mail & package pickup
✓ Key holder for contractors
Hands-off care for larger or waterfront homes.
$299 /month
✓ Weekly visits
✓ Everything in Weekly
✓ Unlimited storm & outage checks
✓ Arrival prep before each stay
✓ Seasonal open & close included*
*Seasonal open & close included on Premier with a 6-month or annual plan. Homes more than 20 miles from Traverse City add $25/mo. One-time $99 onboarding walkthrough & baseline photo report, waived on 6-month and annual plans.
Available to plan members and one-time clients. See what's included in seasonal opening & closing.
Heat up, water on and checked, appliances running, a walk-through so the house is ready when you pull in.
Thermostat set, fridge cleared, valves and vents checked, and your plumber's winterization scheduled and verified.
Heat and lights on, a grocery drop (at cost), fresh towels out. Walk into a warm house.
A tidy-up before you arrive or after guests leave. Two-hour minimum.
An extra visit after a big storm or power outage, within 24 hours.
We let the furnace tech, plow guy or furniture delivery in and lock up. First 30 min; $25 per extra 30.
30-minute visits for feeding, potty breaks and play. Overnight stays $85. We're dog people ourselves.
Alarm went off or a neighbor called? On site within 2 hours, day or night. $75 for plan members.
Meet your home watcher
I live in Traverse City and started Grand Traverse Home Watch because too many Up North homes sit empty all winter with nobody checking on them. I'm an accountant by trade, so checklists, records and follow-through come naturally, and every visit ends with a report you can actually use.
When you hire Grand Traverse Home Watch, you get me: the same person at your door every visit, a phone number that gets answered, and someone local who treats your house like it's his own. Fully insured, and our family's two dogs make sure we understand pets, too.
A quick call to learn about your home, your schedule and what worries you most.
We tour the house with you (or on video), find the shutoffs, take baseline photos and build your checklist.
We visit on a varied schedule so the house never looks empty, and you get a photo report every time.
If something's wrong, you hear from us right away, and we line up a trusted local pro with your OK.
Based in Traverse City. Homes within about 20 miles are in our core area; further out, we add a small travel fee.
Neighbors are great, until they're out of town too. We show up on schedule, follow the same checklist every time, and give you dated photo reports you can hand your insurer.
Yes. Grand Traverse Home Watch is fully insured, and we're happy to send a certificate of insurance on request.
You get a call or text right away with photos. If you'd like, we bring in a trusted local plumber, electrician or HVAC tech and meet them on site. We never authorize work without your approval.
No. Plans are month-to-month. Most clients prepay the winter season to save 5%.
Keys are coded, never labeled with your address, and kept locked. We're happy to use a lockbox or smart lock code instead.
Tell us a little about the property and we'll get back to you within one business day with a recommended plan.