By David Wallace
C & G Staff Writer

If you’re going out of town and need someone to check on your home, what do you do?

Family and friends come to mind, but if they can’t help you out, there are businesses in the area that will watch your home, and your pets, while you’re away.

Ron Shamma and his wife, Molly, branched out about nine months ago after house-sitting for family and friends for years. Their Clarkston-based business, Your Home Watchers, offers a basic home-watching contract that starts at $20 for a weekly visit, with higher fees for bigger homes.

When they pay a visit, they do things such as change the lights that remain on, which could deter thieves. They walk a home’s perimeter and look for debris in the yard. They bring in mail and newspapers. They adjust the thermostat based on the weather. They make sure windows and doors remain locked and check alarms. And they check that all mechanical items continue to function correctly.

“We kind of take care of their house just like if they were there,” said Shamma.

For additional fees, Your Home Watchers offers services like meeting a service technician or watering indoor plants. Shamma is a certified master gardener, and he said plants are a priority for many people.

If something goes wrong at the house — a mechanical problem, for example — the Shammas have emergency numbers to contact the homeowners and find out what work they want done.

“We have reliable people that we recommend to do (repairs),” said Shamma.

Your Home Watchers will also grocery shop for people returning home after a long time away so that the homeowners have some basics in their refrigerators. The company offers cat services, but not dog services.

Those who specifically need their pets cared for have companies willing to provide that service. Christina Labancz runs her own business, Party Tyme Pet Sitting, based in Center Line.

While she takes care of people’s pets — but not exotic animals, including snakes — Labancz said she does some housekeeping and makes sure the home appears lived in.

“Just typically anything you would do at your house,” she said.

In business for approximately four years, Labancz said she has been asked to pet-sit for durations as short as a day to as long as a month.

“If you want me to just come over to your house once, it’s $15 for the hour,” she said. She includes travel time in the hour, so on a short trip, she will stay and spend time with the animal to make sure people get their entire hour’s worth.

Those who have her out more than once see a reduction in price. For her to stay over for a night costs $50.

People use these services for a variety of reasons.

“The biggest group we have are seniors and people who go away for the winter,” said Shamma. People who travel a great deal make up the next largest group of clients.

Such businesses have to overcome potential customers’ anxiety about hiring a stranger to watch their homes and pets.

Shamma said that with prospective new clients, he wants to meet them face to face.

“I want them to see the two of us,” said Shamma.

That is one measure of protection for people: Shamma doesn’t hire any outside help. He also said that their company is bonded and insured, and that they are reliable.

Labancz said most of her clients come from word-of-mouth, so there is an element of trust already established. She said she meets new clients in a public place, and then meets their pets so that the owners know that she is compatible with the pets.

“I haven’t had any pets yet that have been difficult,” she said.

Anyone interested in contacting Your Home Watchers can do so via e-mail at yourhomewatchers@comcast.net or at (248) 762-5377. Anyone interested in contacting Party Tyme Pet Sitting can visit www.partytymepetsittingllc.com or call (866) 461-5274.

You can reach Staff Writer David Wallace at dwallace@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1053.