East Swope Highlands Neighborhood Watch

Vacant Homes Bring Crime and Burglary

Jan 31, 2008

Wednesday Evening 1/30/08 my shotgun and I thwarted a burglary in progress on Scenic Dr. in our neighborhood! Swope Park Highlands is Changing!

Many of our neighbors have been victimized and with all the vacant homes in foreclosure it will draw the criminals like flies.

My name is Ben Edsall with Turn-Key Properties LLC and I am working on a plan to help our neighbors get affordable alarm systems for our neighborhood.

With scrap metal prices soaring and copper bringing $3-4. a pound in some parts of the country, security has become a huge issue. Municipalities, utilities and landlords are all struggling with ways to combat metal theft.

Areas of our community that had never before had
concerns about burglaries are now feeling the pain of victimization. In one case we had a home in a rather desirable neighborhood, where the home had been vacated with thousands of dollars worth of electronics and musical equipment in it. When thieves broke in, they walked past the VCRs,
stereos and televisions and targeted only the copper plumbing in the basement.

Just the presence of a ?“For Sale?” or "For Rent" sign can attract the criminals. With our ?“For Sale?” signs costing over $80. a piece, we have started securing them with chain.

Air conditioners, water heaters, sinks, furnaces
and even the vent covers are coveted loot for the
criminal element. But the most attractive lure is copper. Copper plumbing and even the wires in you walls and ceilings are desired loot.

The damage of stripping a property can easily exceed the value of the property. No matter where your properties are located they are not immune.

We are currently in negotiations with our security
provider to create a product that can be used to
protect vacant homes. We are also working on a security system discount for our neighbors and clients.

Because of the volume of property that we manage
we believe we can negotiate a significant discount. With the advent of the cell
phone, many people no longer even have a home
phone service. There are now alarm systems integrated with cellular technology.

Ben Edsall, Broker - Accredited Residential Manager Turn-Key Properties LLC 816-313-8876
http://www.turnkeyproperties.org