As a married/no children resident of the island of Manhattan, I suffer from a couple of technology blind spots. I don't own a car, so it's tough for me to test out GPS units or other car technologies. With a two-bedroom apartment in a brick rabbit warren with prison bars on most of the exposed windows, home security is not a huge issue. And our handy super, Erol, takes care of most minor plumbing, electrical and other home repair issues.
But I know a lot of you folks out there own homes that you'd like to keep secure from the less-scrupulous among us, that you'd like to monitor your abode and loved ones when you're not home, that you like to keep pretty and in good repair, that perhaps you'd like to have more control over.
Well, you've come to the wrong place.
The right places are a couple of handy Web sites that not only offer advice on home security and such, but also help you find local professionals in your area to perform the jobs even the handiest Bob Vila wannabee would find daunting.
Safe & secure
If your idea of home security is a new Medeco lock on the front door, it may be time to visit Alarm.com, the revamped Web site of the Electronic Security Association (ESA), the country's largest electronic life safety and security industry trade association.
Right on its front page are 10 tips on how to pick the right alarm company, how to purchase and install a security system installer, and a "Get Informed" section that describes the varying components of a home security system. You'll also find advice on setting up a neighborhood watch program, links to relevant crime stats and crime prevention tips – including cyber crime and fraud – from the FBI, fire prevention and stats from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA – and, no, I didn't know there was such an organization either), and car theft stats.
But the best part of the site is the ESA member company search engine. Input your Zip Code and you'll get a long list of security professionals that can then be whittled down by specifying what you're looking for – installation of home automation, fire alarm, intrusion alarm, personal emergency, and video surveillance systems and the like, and your desired geographic proximity from five to 100 miles.
Once the list is winnowed down to a manageable few, you'll get full contact information for each company, a Web address if available, and what services the company provides.
What's missing are email addresses and a call-back feature found on our next handy home Web site, ServiceMagic.
Repairs are us
You hate the tile in your bathroom. The electrical outlets in the den have stopped working. You need a new water heater. Your front brick staircase is crumbling. You just had a party and you can't face the clean-up. Your driveway has more pot holes than the West Side Highway.
Who can a home owner trust – even if you could find the right pro?
ServiceMagic helps you locate the exact, precise home repair professional in a way I wish ESA's site worked.
For example, the grout in our bathroom was filthy and, in some places, crumbling. Erol told me grout was a bit outside his expertise. I went to ServiceMagic, chose a project category from the pull down menu ("concrete/brick/stone" seemed the closest match), then chose "Tile – Ceramic, Porcelain & Stone" from the resulting list, then "Grout: Replace or Repair" from the resulting sub-list. From a checklist I chose the grout repair location ("bathroom") and the type of tile ("ceramic"), told the site when I wanted the job done and provided a short description, then clicked "Get Matched to Pros."
Instead of me having to call them as I would on Alarm.com, ServiceMagic alerts the appropriate professionals of a potential job. Within a minute – I'm not kidding, a minute – I got a call back, and a call from a second grout repair specialist around five minutes later. Too slow! I had already made an appointment with the Johnny-on-the-spot first call-back guy, who came by a day later and fixed the grout.
You pay no fee to ServiceMagic – I assume the professionals who belong pay the site a finder's fee.
ServiceMagic has branched out from home repair and now can locate event planners, photographers, even senior home care professionals.
There's also a ServiceMagic iPhone app in case you need "pros on the go."
And, if you're a service professional, there's a link (albeit tiny at the bottom of the home page) to join the ServiceMagic network.
Finding the right home repair pro on ServiceMagic could not have been easier. And after all, that's what technology is supposed to do – make your life safer and easier. The system works!