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Sound the Alarm: Whether it's copper pipes, fixtures, or appliances, the components of your vacant property have street value to burglars. To protect your investment, consider wireless or cellular security, both of which are relatively inexpensive to obtain and have the added bonus of mobility so that you can transfer them from property to property. Solar alarm systems are also an option as well as the more simple deterrents of signage indicating the presence of a security or surveillance system (whether one is installed or not). "As well as vandalism and theft, vacant properties are hard to monitor when it comes to caring for the property. Portable monitoring systems in a kit include security but also let the asset manager know when there has been heat failure, water intrusion, or property invasion from curious kids in the neighborhood. Being able to look into the property at will with live real-time streaming video cameras, has been met with great enthusiasm. When the cameras sense motion, they record video clips [which] are sent to the asset manager by SMS or email." —Bradley G. Hays, MonitorMyProperty LLC Botanical Border Patrol: Preventing vandals from entering your property is the main goal, yet no one wants to have unsightly prison-like barbed wire or walls creating an eyesore and devaluing their investment. In lieu of concrete and wire, go for a botanical border utilizing Mother Nature's deterrent: prickly bushes and hedges. Positioned strategically, these natural wonders can act as both a psychological and physical shield so that your property is a less appealing target of thieves and thugs. Some suggested shrubbery that will get the job done include hawthorne, holly, Berberis, Pyrocanthus, and Rosa Rugosa. "If you have ever driven through a community with boarded-up homes, apartment buildings, or businesses, it is very easy to see why property values continue to decline. Traditional wood or steel products are extremely unsightly and immediately visible. Once those products are installed, the surrounding homes and commercial real estate drop in value, not to mention invite more crime, squatting, and graffiti. [Property owners can] solve these issues by making vacant and abandoned properties less conspicuous." —Howard Wedren, SecureView 54 Designer Safeguards: Doors and windows are often the fist line of defense a property owner has against burglars and trespassers, so protection of each is vital. Rather than using low-tech cages that can be easily dismantled or resorting to unsightly bars or plywood, many manufacturers now offer attractive alternatives such as steel doors coated with weatherproof paint or polycarbonate window covers that are not only strong enough to protect a property but actually have the appearance of normal windows, making it hard to tell the property is even vacant.