This morning's Coeur d'Alene Press featured a story about arrest for another attempted theft of copper tubing. It brought to mind a email blast I received a while back from the Coeur d'Alene Multiple Listing Service with 
a warning alert for those of us with vacant property listings:
We have seen a recent uptick in home break-ins and theft. We recommend you check your vacant listings more frequently to make sure that the property is secure and nothing is missing. It is not unusual to see an increase when the weather is nice and the days are longer, but the numbers are up substantially this year.
Agents are reporting more losses than usual. Early detection helps reduce liability. Report all thefts to the police department with jurisdiction.
This is a good reminder to all of us with vacant listings. Whenever I enter into a listing contract for a home that will be vacant, this is one of the areas that we discuss in advance. Security is very important, and it's important that there are no misunderstandings as to who will be periodically checking on the house. Old newspapers and junk mail left on the porch need to be picked up regularly. Doors and windows need checking. I think in light of this alert, it's time to step up the visits to each of my vacant listings.
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