HomeFirst Total Home Management, based in Hampstead, has earned accreditation from the National Home Watch Association for the second year, according to a news release.

The NHWA was formed in 2009 "to establish and maintain the highest industry standards for Home Watch and absentee homeowner services throughout the United States and Canada," the release stated. Home Watch is a visual inspection of a home or property, looking for obvious issues, at vacation or primary homes while owners are away.

HomeFirst serves Topsail Beach to Southport, including Topsail Island, Porters Neck, Figure Eight, Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, Bald Head Island, Southport, Wilmington and Oak Island.  

HomeFirst Vice President Al Todd grew up in the mountains of Asheville and moved to the coast about 16 years ago. He now lives in Wilmington and has traveled extensively during his career, often spending several weeks away and leaving household maintenance to his family, according to the release.

When he first moved to Wilmington, Todd was maintaining a home in Asheville, six hours away. Balancing a busy career and being a second homeowner, he realized the services of a Home Watch company would have provided peace of mind that his property was being taken care of in his absence, the release stated.

When Todd’s business partner and president of HomeFirst, Tim King, approached him with the idea of starting their own Home Watch business, Todd "immediately saw the value the Home Watch industry offers to many people, from busy professionals to second homeowners," according to the release.

King has lived in the Wilmington area for his entire adult life and has family ties to the region dating back to the 1700s, the release stated. His professional experience is in business operations and project management.