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» VISIT US ONLINE @ DSNEWS.COM 17 SPONSORED STORY With the dawning of 2017, it is hard to fathom that almost a decade has passed since the housing bubble burst. e nation continues to battle its way through a gradual recovery, even as there are signs that this is the year the fight against blight will make great strides. Consider that 1.3 million residential homes in America remain vacant. States hardest hit during the great recession still have stagger- ing totals of empty homes. Florida's total is 180,800, Michigan and Texas each have about 117,000, Ohio is struggling under a burden of 86,400, and in smaller states such as Missis- sippi and Alabama, one out of every 40 homes is vacant. e impact affects neighbors, entire com- munities, mortgage servicers, and society overall. Vacant properties: » impose direct service costs on code enforcement units, police departments, fire departments, court systems, and other governmental agencies. » exact negative "spillover" costs on nearby neighborhoods, such as lower property values and higher crime rates. » lose their value and become "zombies" when they are not properly secured. Often vandals remove copper piping and other valuable assets. SECUREVIEW SOLUTION e costs associated with these vacant and abandoned properties are unmistakable and substantial. SecureView has created a common sense, practical, and affordable remedy based on new technology that can reduce both these costs and the negative externalities caused by vacant and abandoned properties, even while creating value. At SecureView, we're committed to changing the face of vacant and abandoned properties and fighting community blight. Our revolutionary polycarbonate clearboard- ing system is designed to look like glass, providing clear views while letting in natural light. is, in turn, enhances marketability and improves safety, allowing first responders to see inside the property in the event of an emergency. Made from recycled materials, SecureView is virtually unbreakable, which means it has the wherewithal to protect a property from intrusion and reduce the crime and squatting so often associated with plywood and steel board ups. Customers can modify SecureView on site to fit any window. It is quickly and easily installed using a simple but effective compres- sion bolt system. e technology and design make Secure- View an effective solution for both lenders and communities by securing the asset and increas- ing the marketability of a property, which in turn stabilizes neighborhoods and helps to fight community blight. SecureView has been in- stalled on some 40,000 properties in more than 3,000 communities, and is available nationwide at more than 60 locations and also available for delivery within 24 hours of placing an order. RECENT LEGISLATION AND POLICY CHANGES Legislators and policymakers are taking major steps to address the issues contribut- ing to community blight. In December, Ohio became the first state to ban plywood board- ing on vacant and abandoned properties when lawmakers passed H.B. 463. e groundbreak- ing legislation is a bold statement that will lead to increased use of polycarbonate clearboard- ing and modernize the fight against blight in Ohio. It would be logical for other states to follow this example. e ban came less than two months after Fannie Mae announced that it was expand- ing its reimbursement criteria for servicers to include polycarbonate clearboarding as a method to secure vacant properties, whether they are real-estate owned or in a pre-fore- closure state. is game-changing decision, which will take effect in February, will have a tremendous impact, returning properties to the market more quickly and in a more-stable and marketable condition. Despite the higher upfront cost, servicers will save in the long term because of SecureView's ability to maintain the value of the property and shorten the disposi- tion process. ese significant developments and others that are on the horizon are further valida- tion that plywood is a dated and unacceptable solution for boarding vacant and abandoned properties. POLYCARBONATE VS. PLYWOOD For decades, plywood has been the standard material for boarding vacant and abandoned properties, but it has become the ugly and stigmatizing symbol of community blight. Plywood announces that a building is vacant and abandoned, sending a distress signal of a neighborhood in trouble. Studies have shown that boarding a property with plywood significantly impacts surrounding properties on an otherwise stable street and immediately devalues the occupied properties in the vicinity by as much as 20 to 25 percent. Plywood can be easily removed, extending an open invitation to vandals and squatters, and requiring re-boarding as often as three times or more. ese properties often become hubs for crime and drug activity, requiring constant attention from code enforcement, police, and fire. ey end up placing a strain on city and community resources and budgets. For first responders, plywood-boarded properties are a safety hazard as rescuers can't see inside when arriving on the scene. MOMENTUM IS BUILDING TOWARD WINNING THE FIGHT AGAINST BLIGHT IN 2017

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