Internal · keep a printed copy in the truck

Turnover field checklist & launch kit

The ten photos — shoot in this order, every time

Order matters: it builds the same story for the owner each visit, and the timestamps prove the sequence if a guest disputes anything. Shoot landscape, lights on, blinds open, nothing of yours in frame.

1. Front door — locked, handle visible, porch swept.
2. Living room — wide shot, cushions squared, remotes staged.
3. Kitchen — sink empty and dry, counters clear, coffee setup visible.
4. Inside the refrigerator — door open, shelves empty. This is the photo owners talk about.
5. Primary bed — made tight, corner of the room in frame for context.
6. Guest beds — every sleeping surface in the house, one frame each if needed.
7. Baths — mirror streak-free, toilet lid down, fresh towels folded.
8. Thermostat — screen legible, showing the owner’s set point.
9. Bins — emptied, lids on, returned to the house, bags already in your truck.
10. Deck & dock — deck clear, and the dock / flotation as it sits today at 656.

Then send one message, not ten

Attach all ten to a single text with one line of context: “All set at [street] — guest-ready at 2:40. Dock still sitting on the flat, photo 10. Nothing broken this turn.” Never send “done, that’ll be $200” on its own.

Before you leave the driveway

• Thermostat on the owner’s between-guest setting — not yours.
• Every exterior door and window locked; lockbox closed and scrambled.
• Water heater and under-sink areas dry — no new drips.
• Guest trash bagged and in the truck for the Tuesday run.
• Low-stock supplies noted in the same text, before the owner runs out.
• Nov–Feb: exterior faucets covered, hoses disconnected, crawlspace vents checked.

The Tuesday run

Franklin County convenience center, 4542 Harrison Bridge Road, Carnesville — closed Sunday and Monday. Tue–Fri 8:00–4:30 with a noon–1:00 lunch closure, Saturday 8:00–noon. Roughly $1 per bag, passed through to the owner at cost. Build the route so checkout-day bags leave the property immediately and hit the center Tuesday morning. Keep bags contained and off the ground; never let them sit on a client’s deck. Verify hours by phone before you promise a schedule — they change.

Trunk kit — the first run

Approximate prices, Lavonia-area big-box, November 2026. Expect $80–$110 for a kit that can actually finish a 3/2 turnover, not the $40 version — you will spend the difference on the first job anyway in time and second trips.

• Microfibre cloths, 24-pack — $12 · colour-code: blue glass, green kitchen, red bath
• Nitrile gloves, 50-pack — $9
• All-purpose spray + glass cleaner + bathroom cleaner — $12
• Toilet brush, bowl cleaner, two scrub sponges, pumice stick — $11
• 13-gal liners + 42-gal contractor bags — $16
• Paper towels, 6-roll — $9
• Broom, dustpan, small mop or flat mop + pads — $18
• Lint roller, melamine sponges, razor scraper — $8
• Headlamp, tape measure, zip ties, WD-40, plunger — $22
• Two cleaning caddies + a lidded tote for the bags — $14
• Phone tripod or window clamp — $11 · steady, repeatable photo angles

Owner outreach — read this part before you send anything

Where the leads really are

• Franklin and Hart County property records — public. Lake-front parcels with an out-of-county mailing address are your exact customer. A hand-addressed letter to that mailing address outperforms a DM.
• Local Facebook groups — Lake Hartwell, Lavonia, Hartwell and Franklin County community groups. Post as a neighbour, not an ad.
• Referral partners who already have the owner’s phone number — dock builders, HVAC techs, lawn crews, septic pumpers, marina staff and the realtors who sold those houses. They field “do you know anybody who…” calls weekly and currently have nobody to name.
• Cleaners who are already overloaded — the ones cancelling on owners. Being their overflow is a warm introduction, not competition.
• Listings that show their own website or direct booking page — that contact information is published for exactly this purpose.

Message — for owners you can reach directly

Hi [name] — I’m [your name], I run Hartwell Turnkey Operations out of Lavonia, about ten minutes from your place.

Not a booking enquiry. With the Corps holding the lake at 656 year-round now, a lot of owners I talk to can’t tell what their dock is doing from one month to the next, and the county dump being closed Sunday and Monday makes checkout-day trash its own problem. I do guest turnovers, the checkout-day trash pull with a Tuesday dump run, leaf blowouts, pre-freeze checks, and a photographed dock and shoreline walk — and you get ten timestamped photos after every visit, so you can see the house is ready without driving up.

Even if your cleaner is solid, most out-of-town owners keep my number for the weekend one cancels. Happy to drive out this week and send you photos of your own property for free, no obligation — want me to? — [your name], [phone]

Post — for local Facebook groups

Lavonia / Gumlog / Martin neighbours — I’ve started Hartwell Turnkey Operations, local property care for lake houses whose owners live out of town. Guest turnovers, checkout-day trash hauled off and run to the county center, leaf blowouts, pre-freeze faucet and crawlspace checks, firewood restocks, and photographed dock and shoreline checks while the lake sits at 656. Owners get ten timestamped photos after every visit.

If you’ve got a neighbour who only shows up in July and worries about the place the rest of the year, send them my way — and if you’re an HVAC, dock or lawn guy who gets asked “do you know anybody who checks on houses,” I’d like to be the name you give them. [phone]

Ten minutes of setup, before the first reply lands

• Business email — hartwellturnkey@gmail.com or similar.
• Voicemail greeting naming the business and asking for name, number and lake property address.
• Square (or similar) set up under the business name so you can text a payment link the same day you finish.
• A shared album or folder per property for the photo history.
• Check whether Franklin County or the City of Lavonia requires a local business licence or occupation tax certificate for a service business, and register your trade name if you intend to operate under it.
• General liability quote in hand before the first paid key handover.

County hours, fees and lake elevations as published November 2026 and subject to change. Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.