Leslie Young, owner of Hill Way Home Watch, checks a basement dehumidifier for any leaks as she demonstrates the steps she takes during an inspection of a client’s home in Cape Elizabeth. Several Maine entrepreneurs have home watch businesses, offering weekly or biweekly inspections of seasonal properties while people are away to confirm there are no plumbing issues or similar problems. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer Leslie Young walks through the kitchen of a bright and airy Cape Elizabeth home.
She turns on the faucet, letting the water run. She sticks her hand inside the refrigerator, checking that it’s still cold. She pauses in front of the gas stove and wafts a hand over the burners to make sure she can’t smell gas.
Young moves through the expansive house this way, room by room, stopping every few feet to shine her flashlight in any dark corners, check the thermostat and smoke detectors, run water through the pipes, and make sure there are no cracked windows, mouse droppings or signs of water in the basement or under appliances. “Owning a house, every day it’s something,” she said. Young is a home watcher – a job that is increasing in popularity in Maine as the luxury second-home real estate market has taken off and waterfront homeowners are growing concerned about the impacts of worsening storms .
“With all the damage and all the activity that happened over the winter, people are worried,” said Beth Doehner, co-owner of York Harbor Home Watch. “Some .
