Burglars Beware

Vacant Homes Are No Longer Easy Targets

by Leslee Smith, Real Estate Consultant
Gull Lake Realty
May 2009

Many of us living next to vacant, foreclosed homes have witnessed the tragedies of beautiful homes turned upside down by burglars and 'scrappers'. From pulling the aluminun siding off the outside to breaking inside the home and removing the copper pipes. The biggest Jack Pot are the upscale homes. These prime targets - many professionally staged - offer new furniture, HD TV's, appliances and more. The bold burglar has an opportunity to get a good look at 'the goods' and can even plan thier entrance and escape route all from attending a well planned open house.

These burglars earn $100 - $500 at the scrap yard plus $2000 - $15,000 off the furniture, TV's and appliances. A good days income. Unfortunately the home value diminishes by thousands and can make the home impossible to sell.

But, Sellers are getting smarter and its time for BURGLERS to BEWARE!

Sellers and home owners now aware of the growing vandalism have stepped up thier commitment to maintain and protect thier investment.

There are many new tools used by home owners to protect thier homes. Here are just a few to consider:

• Install Home Security Systems
• Find a House Sitter
• Hire a REALTOR that uses a SentriLock lockbox or other secure lockbox that electronically tracks the date and time of the people authorized to extract the key
• Require that anyone entering the home signs in on a log during an open house
• Ask your agent to be present at all private home showings and during an open house require the visitors to sign in to gain entry to the home

Professional stagers too have thier tricks, such as well placed personal items like keys, coins, and sun glasses. Some stagers even go so far as to put food in the cupboards and silverware in the drawers. A professionally staged home gives warmth and the appearance of an occupied, well maintained home. As a bonus, statistics support that a professionally staged home will sell 85% quicker and can generate more offers in a hot market, accoring to the Consumers Guide to Staging Real Estate Staging (March 2009) published by the Real Estate Staging Association.

"I have been very fortunate with the homes I have staged", offers Stager, Kim Nicholas of Ultimate Staging Decor. "I have not experienced any disturbance to the home, or any of the inventory I have placed in them. Although I do have to keep in mind the area, and what I will put in the homes to not add unnecessary risk, especially with vacant homes. For example, all outdoor furniture and decorative fire pits, etc. are only used for the photos and open house. They cannot be left at the homes, as most of the time, it's common knowledge in the area that the home is vacant, and could potentially be inviting for burglary. Also, I use props for flat screen TV's instead of leaving a real TV in a vacant property." Kim offers good advice for those staging thier homes. In addition to her staging services, Kim offers her services to check on homes occassionally "especially after storms, etc, to check on power, ice makers, or any other potential problems".

Nieghbors are also pitching in and contacting the authorities if they see anyone unauthorized removing personal property from the un-occupied homes. Neighborhood crime watches help lower the vandalism but it's also in the neighbors best interest to maintain the value on vacant properties as it affects the value of thier own home.

House sitters are a great alternative, not only do they provide security they also help with utility bills, lawn care & snow removal. Click here to learn more about selecting a house sitter. Well selected sitters may also bring in complimentary furniture that can help 'sell' the home.

More information can be found in these helpful articles and links:

Theives Target Staged Homes - Is it Time for a House Sitter
Does Your Listing Need a Sitter? Take the Vacancy Out of Vacant Homes
Real Estate Staging Association
Ultimate Staging Decor

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If you have a lakefront rental property I want to know about it!

We get several calls at the office throughout the year from out of staters looking for lakefront rental properties on Gull Lake, Gun Lake, Wall Lake, Pine Lake, Austin Lake and many others.

Send me your contact information and if you wish to share more details & photos even better!

Remodeling - Investment vs. Value

by Leslee Smith, March 2007



Your home is one of the biggest investments you will make and maintaining that investment can provide a great payback when you are ready to sell. When considering a remodeling project you want to invest in making your home fit your needs but also consider how much the remodeling project costs compared to the bottom line it could add (or subtract) from the overall value of your home.
Here are the top five remodeling projects that provide the best return on investment (listed from biggest return to least return).
1. Minor Kitchen Remodel
2. Bathroom Addition
3. Major Kitchen Remodel
4. Master Suite Conversion
5. Family Room Addition
Your neighborhood can set the tone for the remodeling project. If your neighborhood is full of 3 bedroom – 2 bathroom homes and your home is a 3 bedroom – 1 bathroom home your best investment may be adding one bathroom. In other words your home needs to catch up with the other homes in your neighborhood. If your home is one of the lowest priced homes in the neighborhood, then a large investment may provide significant returns.

Real Estate in the News Around the Country

by Leslee Smith, October 2006

Everywhere I turn there seems to be someone talking about the real estate industry, whether its the Kalamazoo Gazette, the Battle Creek SCENE Magazine or Matt Lauer on the TODAY® Show. All seem to have the same message; Real Estate trends are affecting all areas of the country; Total number of homes sold are about the same as in past years, but the total number of homes on the market are at an all time high. The Real Estate industry calls this a Buyers Market and the seasoned REALTOR®S say hang in there, this is a normal down trend, expect it to come back again. WHEN? Well, I don’t have the answer. The only advice I can offer is if you are selling your home, don’t pull it off the market. You never know when your home is the perfect fit for a new buyer to the market. If your home is FSBO consider using a REALTOR®, we can place your home on the MLS system which will provide exposure to not only all my buyers but all of the buyers at every agency across Southwest Michigan.