Peace of Mind and Home
by Lori Williams
The “spirit” of Central Oregon emanates out of raw scenic beauty, year-round recreational opportunity, history, climate, prosperity, inspiration, and people who love all things Deschutes. Home Fridays, a Bend-based property management company, has reigned in this all-encompassing ethos and coined “Deschutes Spirit” to define their capacity to care about the management and safe-keeping of second homes. It’s an extension of gratitude for client, staff, and community. Tommy Chambers, one of the industry leaders in property management today, says, “The Home Fridays team represents the perfect combination of high performance in their responsibilities, reliability you can trust, and a warmth of service akin to the Aloha Spirit here in Central Oregon.”
Home Fridays optimizes the opportunity for enjoyment in owning a second home in Central Oregon. Their service is specifically designed for people who own a home to visit, vacation, and play in the Bend region, yet who can’t afford to not have the home managed and cared for while vacant. The keys to a great property management experience involve a thoughtful, communicative, and respectful team committed to its mission—integrity in the responsibility of keeping a home safe and secure. “They treat your second home as their first priority—you can enjoy your vacation home more and worry less,” says Chambers
The most significant thing we provide clients is the peace of mind that their home is safe, secure, and well cared for. We are a solid team here in Bend and we love what we do. It’s all about the luxury of our clients coming to their homes and not being bothered with maintenance or upkeep details—they arrive and are immediately able to enjoy family time without any to-do list or worries.
–Malia Sutton, Portfolio Manager, Home Fridays
Most homeowners don’t realize the amount of time and effort that goes into caring for a vacation home while they’re away, and the larger the home, the more attention is needed. There are numerous timely responsibilities involving maintenance and oversight that can increase depending upon the season. That’s where Home Fridays comes in—the team behind your dream. Malia Sutton, Home Fridays’ Portfolio Manager, says, “The most significant thing we provide clients is the peace of mind that their home is safe, secure, and well cared for. We are a solid team here in Bend and we love what we do. It’s all about the luxury of our clients coming to their homes and not being bothered with maintenance or upkeep details—they arrive and are immediately able to enjoy family time without any to-do list or worries.”
“General upkeep, travel logistics, and home projects can easily whittle away the enjoyment of vacation time that was envisioned when an excited buyer purchases that home,” says Chambers. The Home Fridays service allows homeowners to live their vision of R&R in the great outdoor playground of Central Oregon. Spend your time hiking, golfing, brewery-hopping, skiing, river surfing, rock climbing, or surveying art galleries downtown. Whatever that vision is, live into that instead of managing tasks and errands associated with home maintenance.
The home watch and management services that Home Fridays provides can be all-encompassing or tailored to meet a client’s needs. First and foremost are the routine visual inspection visits looking for obvious issues to ensure that the property and home is well maintained inside and out. Most visits are scheduled weekly or twice per month. It’s boots on the ground and a set of eyes to check for things from visible property damage to inside temperatures to making sure appliances are in working order. They manage snow removal, spa and pool maintenance, start vehicles, and remove any junk fliers. Home Fridays also engages and meets with reputable vendors, providing a single point of contact to oversee a service.
Home Fridays also incorporates property technology innovation that is unobtrusive yet reduces the greatest risks and costs of having a second home. They utilize a property management tech platform system called the Minut Smart Home Sensor, a privacy-safe wireless home sensor that monitors temperature, humidity levels, and noise decibels and motion (optionally) in your home. Explains Sutton, “Through an app we are provided with a minute-by-minute analysis of clients’ homes, allowing us to respond to issues right away.”
“We share everything we observe from the smallest peel of paint to dripping faucets and new birds nesting under covered porches. Even if there is street work happening or new construction next door, our clients are informed. Home Fridays’ clients have a connection to the community at all times.”
–Malia Sutton, Home Fridays
When a home has two inspection visits a month, and a pipe bursts in between that time in the winter, conditions will fluctuate out of the threshold—a key indicator that something else is happening. Home Fridays can go to the home and mitigate damage. “We are monitoring every single day,” says Sutton. “The owner can also download the app and monitor what we are seeing. When the client is in residence, it can be completely shut off for privacy.”
Concierge services are also available with Home Fridays to optimize one’s vacation time in Bend. Client pre-arrival services can include patio furniture being set out, blinds opened, refrigerator stocked, vehicles washed, fueled, and dropped at airport, package pick-ups, personal shopping, restaurant reservations, and personal in-home chef appointments. After departure, services include setting trash out, arming the security system, and housekeeping. “We even helped a client coming into town last-minute for Christmas by setting up a fresh tree with lights and decorations so that they were able to walk into their home and be prepared for a fun family holiday in Bend,” says Sutton.
Home Fridays are champions of the home watch and concierge service niche in the property management industry, and are always forward-thinking. “Our team really cares for these homes down to the finest detail,” says Sutton. “We share everything we observe from the smallest peel of paint to dripping faucets and new birds nesting under covered porches. Even if there is street work happening or new construction next door, our clients are informed. Home Fridays’ clients have a connection to the community at all times.”
