About
Learn more about the experienced team at Acuity!
History
On a clear summer night in the summer of 2019, Al and his wife were sitting around a fire on the beach at their Maine camp having one of those conversations with friends to solve the world’s problems. At one point, the topic shifted to careers, retirement plans, and life changes. As they each chimed in about what their own thoughts and “what ifs” included, someone mentioned that, given Al’s career experience and personal enjoyment of construction projects, home maintenance and remodeling, he should consider becoming a home inspector. While at the time the idea seemed random, it stuck in the back of his mind. As 2020 unfolded, his plans for a change became more relevant and immediate and he decided to investigate what a second career as a home inspector might involve.
After looking into certification requirements, training, and opportunities for starting his own business, he decided to move forward. By the fall of 2021, he had formulated a business plan for home inspection and radon measurement services, completed the certification processes, and submitted his application for the formation of Acuity Property Inspections.
One of the most challenging steps of the process was settling on a name for the business. Starting with 20+ options, Al began whittling the list down and decided that Acuity provided a unique and appealing name, and, by definition (noun; Acuteness of vision or perception), reflects a key element of delivering an awesome home inspection experience to his clients.
In January 2022, Acuity Property Inspections began operations during one of the most challenging real estate markets in decades. With the historically low inventory of existing homes available, combined with volatility in prices and interest rates, it’s more important than ever that homebuyers are able to make an informed decision about the condition and radon status of the home they’re considering for purchase.
Every home inspection we perform is consistent in its reflection of our viewpoint, skillset and application of Acuity’s industry-leading and innovative tools and processes. Al has committed to making your home inspection process as seamless, stress-free, and valuable as possible.
Mission
The mission of Acuity Property Inspections is to provide every client and stakeholder with an outstanding home inspection experience by exceeding expectations during every step of the process. To achieve our mission, we will:
- Respond and follow up with timely and professional communication.
- Demonstrate the highest degree of integrity, values, and ethics in all aspects of delivery of our service.
- Work to continually improve our knowledge, skills and processes through continuing education, innovation, and customer feedback.
- Strive to achieve Our Mission every day by focusing on providing exceptional quality and value in every inspection – for every client.
Al Stephens
From an early age, Al has enjoyed building, repairing, and tinkering with things. Fixing up an old boat, helping his dad with an addition to the house, rebuilding a motorcycle – all helped him develop an interest in, and an eye for, the potential outcome of a project.
During his high school and college years, he had jobs that included painting, log home construction, and facility maintenance while working toward an eventual bachelor’s degree in Biology in preparation for a career in food production.
After college, his career included a variety of roles in the livestock sector involving the production of poultry, swine, and cattle. His responsibilities included the planning, design, and construction management for remodeled, expanded and/or new production facilities involved in the production of animal protein. Many of those projects required the establishment and implementation of quality control processes to ensure that all aspects of the facility, from site preparation to construction and equipment installation, met the requirements of the design and customer expectations. Not only was the successful completion of these projects extremely gratifying, but many involved tremendous opportunities for travel, throughout the US and Internationally, working with and forming lasting friendships all over the world.
Balancing career with family life is always challenging and having a partner who helps make it work is the key. Kris met Al in college and, when they started to grow their family, she was able to stay at home as a full-time mom which provided the flexibility Al’s career responsibilities required. They raised three children who today are college educated, homeowners, in successful careers, and (so far) have given them two grandchildren. Kris now teaches 7th grade in the Gretna school system. When they’re not working, they enjoy their lake camp in Maine, traveling (they have visited 21 national parks), kayaking, biking, and hiking.
In late 2021, the couple decided that the time was right for moving on to the next chapter in their lives and Al transitioned from his 40+ year career in the livestock sector to pursue his own business – Acuity Home Inspections.
