How do you handle long-term vacancies? Looking for feedback.
Background:

My friends and I worked with Louisville (KY, USA) Metro Govt to develop a solution to monitor abandoned residential buildings for fires &amp; break-ins without requiring AC mains power or Wi-Fi on site. We’ve had a few successful pilots, but the government side of this business is going to be relatively hard to scale, so we’re exploring private sector pivots and could use your help.

Ask:

We’d love to hear about how you manage properties that mostly sit vacant longer than 2 months or so per year.

* Do you try to sell these properties immediately? Or are they strategic holds for you?
* Have floods, squatters, theft, or fires been a big problem? Or not really?
* If any of these were problems worth addressing, how did you solve it?
* Do you have any crazy stories to share?

Thank you!
[{"id": "i3hr8o2", "text": "Not a property manager but I\u2019m an environmental professional in the Louisville area.\n\nSounds like a real challenge! Any time you have an empty structure you\u2019re going to have problems. If you have a lot of structure like that then the problem is compounded.\n\nYou could put up fake cameras, you\u2019re being watched signs, and bedbug infestation signs to keep problems down, but people will figure that stuff out pretty quickly.\n\nYour best bet is to get neighbors involved. Have Facebook groups for particular streets or neighborhoods. Again, if the program doesn\u2019t produce results or if the people involved don\u2019t care then people will figure that out too and stop  helping.\n\nIf both those fail you\u2019re back to the worst options of remote monitoring or periodic in person inspections.\n\nI\u2019d love to learn more about what you all are doing. I can offer radon testing should you need support in that area.", "replies": [{"id": "i3hshgn", "text": "Hey neighbor! Thanks for your feedback. I'll DM you.", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "i3s7v6z", "text": "TBH that is going to be pretty niche.  \n\nAs far as managing vacant properties typically there is a desire to sell/lease them and not just let them sit vacant, baring something odd going on.\n\nI'm just North of you (Cincinnati area) and I'd guess the vacant properties without power is in the single digits percent wise.  Electric is almost always on.\n\nInsurance covers the problems you mentioned though its really a rare issue to deal with in the first place.  A lot of banks are more aggressive in winterizing REO's but there isn't much REO in existence at the moment so maybe put that in your hat for the future.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]