ALLY Home Inspector Mike Mueller spent the first four years of his life in the border town of Burgalben, Germany.  His Massachusetts-born mother met his German father while he was in the U.S. They returned to Germany together where they married and started their family. When Mike was four, the family moved to the U.S., where they planned to stay for five years. They never went back to Germany. “My aunts got frustrated because my brothers and I would huddle in the corner and speak in German,” he recalls with a laugh. “Once we had been here a while we gave it up.”

It wasn’t until he was much older and discussing politics with his dad that Mike realized his dad wasn’t an American citizen. “Last year my dad became a citizen and I am so proud of him,” he says. “He has strong views and now he has the right to vote like the rest of us.”

Before he became a home inspector, Mike spent 25 years in the termite industry as an inspector, so making the switch was an easy one. “I enjoy being outside and meeting people,” he says. “I guess it’s fun finding things that are wrong with a house. In some ways, it’s like putting a puzzle together to discover issues with a home and help someone make an important life decision.”

For Mike, two things about a house stand out first—the foundation and then the roof. “I’ve seen some houses with some pretty major foundation issues or terrible roofs,” he says. “Those types of problems need to be addressed immediately.”

The flexible work schedule is one that is conducive for his interests outside of work—Mike enjoys the outdoors, camping, fishing and does all the cooking at home. He and his wife, Kayron, have two sons, 25 and 22, and are finally enjoying the empty nest.