Home & Boat Watchdog earns national accreditation for eighth year

Home & Boat Watchdog has earned accreditation from the National Home Watch Association for the eighth year. The NHWA was formed in 2009 in order to establish and maintain the highest industry standards for home watch and absentee homeowner services throughout the United States and Canada.

Home watch is a visual inspection of a home or property, looking for obvious issues; it is a service that keeps an eye on things at vacation or primary homes while the owners are not in residence. All principals of NHWA Accredited Member companies are background-checked, insured and bonded.

After many years of watching homes and holding keys for family, friends and neighbors, owner David Koster said recent years seemed to have had the highest number of problems while owners were away. He joined the National Home Watch Association in 2016 to make sure he was doing things properly, including training, licensing, bonding and insuring specifically for home watchers. Weekly visual inspections of an unoccupied home or property are a must. They include a basic visual inspection of windows, doors, locks, walls, floors, ceilings, plumbing, electrical, HVAC systems, refrigerator, freezer and mail, checking for leaks, pests, mold, etc., as well as the overall condition of the home and property. Then the owner is notified with a report and pictures. From there, the homeowner will instruct the home watch service on how to proceed if there is an issue. Koster enjoys supporting Delaware beach-area property owners by saving them time and money, and giving them peace of mind while they are away.

Koster has owned his beach home since 1999. He also runs a successful photography studio business and is a certified and master photographer. According to a study by Canon, a trained professional photographer has about five times more eye movements, paying close attention to detail, than the average person. Koster’s eyes have been trained to scan a scene and quickly notice inconsistencies and abnormalities. Also, he has always had the ability to find four-leaf clovers in a patch of three-leaf clovers. This natural trait, observing differences in patterns and things out of place, is very useful in the home and boat watch business.

Koster is a former lifeguard and a current board member of his neighborhood homeowners association. He is also a licensed boat captain, requiring additional background and drug testing for the Coast Guard and Homeland Security. David is married to Carrie Rest, his business partner and bookkeeper.

Home & Boat Watchdog serves Lewes and Rehoboth Beach. The business can be reached at 302-226-2362 or dave@hbwatchdog.com. Learn more at HBWatchdog.com.