Cool Security Developments For Second Properties
One common concern of second homeowners who have property far away from their primary location is keeping that property safe when they are not around.
Of course they can ask a neighbor or friend in the area to keep an eye on their vacation home or second property, but sometimes that just isn’t an option.
That is why we are seeing a flood of new technologies and products that have a goal of letting homeowners’ monitor their home and keep things safe even if they are miles away.
A February 7, 2007 article by Amy Gunderson of The New York Times, “Keeping a home secure, from afar,” looks at some new developments in the home security sector.
It seems as though homeowners are stopping at nothing to make sure that their home is secure when they are not personally there to watch it.
“Alison Mattu’s clients want to keep an eye on their Florida vacation homes, even though some live as far away as Britain.”
“Ms. Mattu, the co-owner of Florida Preferred Property Group in Davenport, Fla., about 15 minutes from Walt Disney World, says a quarter of the 50 homes under her management now have security systems that can be accessed and controlled over the Internet. Homeowners can be alerted if a patio door is left open; they can disable an alarm by logging on to a Web page, and can even create different security passwords for renters and the cleaning staff.”
By watching their homes, homeowners can even detect the smallest of things like if the pool maintenance person did not come, or if the landscapers were late.
This could help to keep property management companies and other service providers on their toes knowing that the owner of the home could be watching from miles away.
After all, no homeowner wants to worry about their expensive investment that is miles away when they are trying to carry on with their life away from their second home or vacation property.
The technologies that have been developed are amazingly advanced and smart.
“Home security can be a challenge for vacation property owners. After all, the house may be left vacant for long periods, or be used by a series of renters, who are apt to leave a back door unlocked upon departing. Along with the flood of home automation products that allow absentee homeowners to receive e-mail or text messages in case of a burst pipe or broken thermostat, security companies are stepping up to offer homeowners new ways to peek in on their homes.”
Homeowners who want to be able to view and monitor their home regardless of their distance from its location need to be willing to pay a pretty hefty price tag for these new gadgets.
“Sean Hamm, the owner of Five Alarm Security in Carlsbad, Calif., said increasing numbers of second-homeowners were hiring him to set up remote-control systems. ‘More and more they want to be able to check the status from anywhere in the world and not just from their home,’ said Mr. Hamm, whose installation costs start at $1,500. ‘They want to be able to do it from laptop in Thailand.’”
Whatever your security needs for your property afar, you will undoubtedly have no trouble finding a new device that fits what you’re looking for.