Bonita Valet gives snowbirds and executives free time to enjoy Southwest Florida By MARK S. KRZOS mkrzos@news-press.com Originally posted on January 18, 2007 Doctors Marianne Geraci and Saiful Islam don’t have a lot of free time – and when they do have time to themselves, the last thing they want to do is spend it cleaning house or running errands. That’s where Nick Vetter and his business, Bonita Valet, steps in. Bonita Valet is a home watch and personal concierge service that caters to everyone from corporate executives to doctors and lawyers who may need a personal assistant from time to time. Vetter, a real-estate appraiser for 20 years, said his new endeavor in the home watch and concierge service “was a natural progression.” “He watches my home for me,” said Islam, who has known Vetter for about three years. “When I’m not at home, he’ll look out for any problems and make sure that if anything has to be done, it gets done. He’s very hard-working, honest and reliable.” Geraci uses Vetter and Bonita Valet for a variety of odd jobs. “When we moved here about two years ago, we really didn’t know anybody,” said Geraci. “We were waiting for Comcast to come to our house and we couldn’t wait around all day. My husband and I both work, so we had Nick come over and wait for them.” Vetter has also been used to help take care of the Geraci’s dog during the afternoon. It’s these types of chores that Vetter loves, but he also does a lot more. “For people with a second home, they can call me from their home up north and I can go in and make sure everything is working for them before they arrive,” he said. Vetter explained that when meeting clients, he sets up a plan that can include checking for leaks, making sure the hot water heater is functioning properly, running the dishwasher and other appliances and resetting the air-conditioning so that it doesn’t take a few hours to cool down a home after a snowbird returns for the winter. “I do a little bit more than most home watch services,” Vetter said. “People can give me a grocery list and I’ll stock their fridge for them before they arrive. I can take their storm shutters down, clean and bring out their patio furniture.” And that’s just the home watch part of his business. The concierge arm of Bonita Valet can include errand-running such as picking up dry-cleaning, seasonal decorating and shopping for gifts and save you the pain of gift-wrapping. “There’s a lot of executives in Naples and Bonita Springs that don’t have time to be shopping for gifts or time to go grocery shopping,” Vetter said. “It’s kind of like being a (part-time) personal assistant. There’s a few home watch services out there, but there’s not many offering a concierge service. That’s why I’m trying to be different than anyone else.” Virtually anything that needs to be done around the home -- from one-time services such as waiting for furniture delivery to floor installation to meeting home inspectors and repairmen Vetter and Bonita Valet can make sure everything goes according to your plans. The cost of Vetter’s services vary, he said. Monthly home watch services range from $25 per visit. One-time services such as waiting for furniture delivery or floor installers is $25 per visit (based on a monthly contract, with one inspection per month minimum), $50 for one visit per month or $50 for the first hour of a scheduled meeting and $25 for each additional hour. Vetter and his company, Bonita Valet, is fully bonded, licensed and insured. “This is something I really like doing,” said Vetter, who is also a Realtor. “I like serving people and I really like bringing a ‘Wow’ factor to my work.” For more information about Bonita Valet and Vetter’s work, call 357-6994 or go to www.bonitavalet.com