Why Cheaper Isn’t Better: Choosing Reliable Home Watch Services in New Jersey

HomeWatch of Westfield is a retired New Jersey State Trooper-owned, National Home Watch Association-affiliated business that offers custom-designed home watch services to clients in Union, Morris, and Essex Counties and beyond.  HomeWatch of Westfield’s mission is to provide friends and neighbors with real peace of mind, knowing that while they are away, their homes are being discreetly watched by a trained and experienced investigator.  As it is,  HomeWatch of Westfield is a civilian alternative and supplement to a local police department’s patrol function.

Cost is occasionally a factor in deciding to hire a particular home watch company.  It’s true that sometimes, a potential client may identify a company or person who says they can do home watch inspections for a cost lower than HomeWatch of Westfield; however, before committing to any company to watch a home - a client’s most valuable possession - the potential client should consider the qualifications of the company they may be hiring to watch their home while they’re away.  

HomeWatch of Westfield is affiliated with the National Home Watch Association and adheres to national standards for home watch.  Membership in the NHWA is predicated on: 1) A background check of HomeWatch of Westfield’s owner and operator; 2) Positive feedback from the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs and the Better Business Bureau; 3) Proof of bonding and adequate insurance coverage; and 4) An obligation to meet and maintain NHWA training standards.  

HomeWatch of Westfield is owned and operated by a retired New Jersey State Trooper, who has significant first-responder and investigative skills and experience, and is designated by the National Home Watch Association as a Certified Home Watch Professional.  The CHWP designation is the NHWA’s highest professional designation.  Attaining the CHWP designation is achieved through successful completion of a formal examination process in which a thorough knowledge of the NHWA’s best practices and operating procedures must be demonstrated.  HomeWatch of Westfield’s owner’s law enforcement experience and intimate knowledge and application of the NHWA’s best practices and operating procedures afford home watch clients real peace of mind knowing that a competent and trustworthy professional is watching their home while they’re away.

Home watch companies not affiliated with the National Home Watch Association are accountable to no oversight organization, and their customer-satisfaction records - if they have any - are sketchy at best.  For a non-NHWA home watch company or its employees, there is no vetting process in place.  Home watch companies not affiliated with NHWA are not obligated to adhere to NHWA standards or to train their employees to the level of competence attained and demonstrated by NHWA-compliant home watch companies.  

Without vetting and appropriate training, and without adequate or with no insurance, non-NHWA companies can and do undercut the prices of NHWA-affiliated companies such as HomeWatch of Westfield.  The question is: Which home watch company will you trust and which company will afford you, a homeowner, real peace of mind while you’re away?  Before you answer, remember, you get what you pay for.