A vacant home can easily become the target of thieves or vandals, and the damage they leave behind can be big and expensive.
Denise Supplee of
SnapLandlord.com recalls an incident when she was helping a client sell a vacant home and the property was ransacked by thieves who wanted the copper tubing on the pipes.
“They ripped it all out and then there was water damage,” Supplee says. “And because no one really visited that home, the water damage became a mold issue. You know how we knew there was an issue? Because I paid the bills for this property, and I noticed a ridiculously high water bill.”
An alarm system and weekly checks of the property may be crucial to help avoid such disasters or break-ins.
"Owners of vacant homes have more affordable options today than they did 10 years ago, with the advent of smart-home security systems," says Brian Davis, a real estate expert and cofounder of
SparkRental.com. "Smart cameras can be triggered by motion or sound detectors, and alert the owner. Smart-home security systems often now also detect air quality changes and other potential threats to property."
Installing timed lighting around a property at night can also help deter burglars.
Many aspects can make vacant homes be tempting targets for burglars, Davis says. “The copper in the pipes alone is valuable, and then [in luxury homes] there are the top-of-the-line appliances that many high-end homes boast. And those are just the fixtures that burglars can be reasonably certain are present. Who knows what other juicy targets of opportunity they’ll discover?”
Source: “50 Cent’s Home for Sale Was Broken Into – Here’s Why Yours Might Be at Risk, Too,” realtor.com® (May 10, 2017)
