Greylock   Property   Management

We are essentially a management firm for residential properties, with two areas of specialty: the first is safeguarding your home or condominium. This is offered in two levels, depending upon how you use your home. Our standard list of services applies to homes that are second homes, meaning that the owners are away much of the time. This requires some type of automatic monitoring to warn us if something goes wrong at any moment when something occurs. More on this below.

The second is maintenance: both preventative maintenance and on-the-spot repairs as would typically follow weather events. We have experience in all operations that the typical home might need over any period of years. Even homes with year-round residents require a watchful eye. If something doesn’t look right, it is our job to notify you about the problem so you can involve your contractor. If necessary, we can refer you to a list of approved contractors and service providers.

Monitoring

 

This refers to temperature monitoring first. If your heating system should fail, you and your property manager need to be alerted as soon as possible.

One of us will come to your house and determine the cause of the heating system’s shutdown: is there adequate fuel in the tank? Is there an error code on the boiler? If so, what does the manual say about this error code? This initial information is needed to determine who needs a call and what do they need to know. When calling the service provider’s emergency answering service you can relay pertinent information so that the technician will know what to be prepared for.

Once the tech has assessed the problem, we either know that the heating system can be revived, or if not, then we must place temporary heaters in all rooms with plumbing so that adequate temperatures are maintained. The latter option must take place immediately. If we are told that a part needs to be ordered and that it could take several days, those heaters are essential.

“Our primary concern is that your heat will go off and no one will know until several days later. Of course by then it’s too late. There is no reason why that ever has to happen with all of the gizmos out there that make the job of keeping on top of this relatively easy. But, we hear of it happening a couple of times every winter. It’s always during the coldest periods too, when the system is under maximum strain; exactly when you can least afford to have anything to go wrong.”

There are also water and flood warning devices, which can send calls and/or texts when something unusual is detected. There are even smoke alarms which can pair with your home’s WiFi and be able to contact anyone whose information is programmed into the device. And all these options are available as part of the typical home security system. For more on this, see Security below.

 

Site Visits

 

It is important that someone come by at least once a week to see that everything is as it should be. Should there by high winds, a site visit would be a good time to see that everything has fared well.

Electrical Outages

 

Not every house has an automatic generator. Should the power go off, the sensors will report it to us and we will notify the power company. We will then receive updates as to the progress of the repairs. Typically, these repairs only require a few hours.

The Loss of Heat detector can be a stand-alone system or it can be tied in with a security system. We are not in the security business, per se, although it is very easy to get set up with one of the many new businesses who offer services to guard against burglary, fire, and remote locking or unlocking. Still, the owner will need a local contact for the alarm company to reach in case of an emergency alert, as this requires a visit to the property.

By purchasing devices you can in effect “property manage” your own house. But you will still need someone who can respond to the alert when it is sent out. And in many cases that person will need to have some experience in order to know what to do when they get there.

Maintenance

 

Over time there will be issues that will crop up, such as leaks with plumbing or wind damage, like shingle blow offs, for example. Usually they are minor events but they still need prompt attention. This is why a periodic house check has to include the basement and all places where there is plumbing. If something is noticed we first contact you so you can call whomever you choose for what is needed.

We have years of experience with all aspects of home construction, home remodeling, structural repairs, and general troubleshooting. We are there to consult with the people who you use, when necessary.

We have relationships with a number of tradespeople who over the years have proven themselves to be among the best.

Basic services

 

We bring people who can safely do things like: clean gutters; put up storm windows or take them down to put up screens; turn outside water off for the winter and turn it on in the spring; winterize portions of the house; rake snow from problem roofs when necessary, and remove winter ice dams.

Tradesmen on hand: most often people have trusted tradesmen like plumbers and electricians that they regularly use, but when that isn’t the case, we have a few different plumbers and electricians that we use regularly if you need something done and don’t know whom to call. The same goes for painters, tile setters, flooring refinishers and installers, landscapers, and masons.

Security

 

If you are interested in learning how fast and simple it can be to set up a system that can be turned on or off from you cell phone and will alert you if something unusual is detected. It can be as simple as a motion sensor in the hall that will pick up movement inside your house. And it can branch out from there, according to each person’s wishes.

Other things

 

We can show up when needed: maybe you just need someone who can unlock the door for scheduled service calls, meet delivery trucks, put delivered packages inside. For Williamstown, one of us is usually only minutes away.

In general

 

We get calls for all kinds of things, because that’s what we are here for. We get asked to check the level of oil in the oil tank, or the meter on the propane tank, especially after a week of really cold weather. We get calls to turn the heat up on a Friday, or to turn it down on Monday. And we can install WiFi thermostats so you- or we- can do this without having to come to the house. The current level of technology has made many things possible that were not possible only a few years ago.