Decision guides

When you cannot be at the address, start with a current record.

These short guides help you choose the right exterior coverage, prepare for the visit, and use the delivered report for your next step.

01Remote buyer checklist 02Inherited home checklist 03Vacant home & weather checklist

01 / Before you offer

Verify an exterior before a remote purchase decision.

A listing can be useful and still be out of date. An independent street-level record documents visible conditions to review with your agent, inspector, lender, or attorney before your next decision.

Order a Street Report

Prepare before the visit

Define the decision. Note whether you need address confirmation, a current exterior overview, visible concerns, or a comparison with a listing photo.
Share the exact address. Include the ZIP and any unit, lot, or entrance identifier. A field professional photographs the address you authorize.
Ask for the views that matter. Front, visible sides, roofline from ground level, driveway, curb, and immediate street context are different pieces of evidence.
Keep the limits visible. A street record cannot establish interior condition, title, code compliance, value, or a safe decision to buy.

Recommended follow-up

Share the numbered photos of any documented concern with your licensed inspector or local representative. Arrange the appropriate review for areas the exterior visit could not assess.

After delivery

Compare the report with the listing date and your contract timeline. If the view is blocked, the address is unclear, or the scope does not answer the question, request the missing view or use a qualified professional for the next step.

02 / When family property is far away

Build a current record for an inherited or probate home.

Distance adds uncertainty after a death or transfer. A documented exterior can help an executor, heir, or local representative coordinate the practical work while legal and property decisions remain with the appropriate qualified professionals.

Start with one address

Coordinate the basics

Confirm authority. Make sure the person ordering has a lawful purpose and can share the property address with the field team.
Choose the priority areas. Tell us whether the visit should prioritize visible mail, notices, windows, overgrowth, standing water, dumping, or a comparison with an available earlier record.
Plan the handoff. Decide who receives the report and which local contact, attorney, insurer, or property manager can act on a concern.
Separate observation from action. A photo may show a posted notice or visible debris; it does not interpret a legal deadline or determine who may enter.

Privacy reminder

Do not put keys, alarm codes, account numbers, medical details, or private case documents in an order or contact form.

Use repeat visits when needed

If a property will remain empty, Away Watch can create a monthly exterior history. Each visit remains a street-level record with the same boundaries: no entry, mail retrieval, occupant interview, or security monitoring.

03 / A repeatable cadence

Plan a vacant-home record before the next weather event.

Seasonal conditions can make the next visit more useful when the baseline is clear. Define the route and the evidence first; then decide whether a one-time check or recurring cadence fits.

Request a seasonal plan

Set a practical baseline

Record the starting views. Use the front, sides visible from the street, roofline, driveway, curb, and nearby context.
Identify weather triggers. Write down the event type and date you want checked—wind, hail, flood, heavy snow, or another documented event.
Choose the cadence. Monthly Away Watch is a standing record; a Storm Check is a focused post-event visit; a seasonal route is quoted around your addresses and timing.
Leave room for “unclear.” Snow, darkness, standing water, blocked roads, and overgrown areas can limit what is visible. A limitation is useful information.

Seasonal plan boundary

Seasonal plans are quote-only. Dates, route capacity, visit count, and every total are confirmed before payment; there is no automatic seasonal renewal.

Arrange the appropriate follow-up

Visible damage or a changed view can support a call to a roofer, restoration professional, insurer, property manager, or emergency service. The exterior record does not determine cause, cost, safety, or a claim outcome.

Keep the record together

Compare delivered visits in your private account.

Property intelligence groups your own records by address and keeps the scope beside the timeline.

See property intelligence Open My reports