A winter property watch route in Rangeley.

The expensive problems at a seasonal home are almost never break-ins. They are a furnace that quit in January, a branch through a roof after a February storm, a door that blew open in November and stayed open until April. Every one of those is small if somebody finds it within a day, and a very different number if nobody finds it until spring.

Somebody is here when you are not. Not a camera that emails you, and not a neighbour who means well and gets busy. A licensed security officer, on a schedule, with a written record of every visit.

Every visit includes an exterior walk, verification of doors, windows and access points, a check for storm damage, ice damming and visible water intrusion, and a written report with photographs sent to you the same day. If something is wrong, you get a phone call, not an email.

A camp assessed at $700,000 probably carries three to five thousand dollars a year in insurance. This is the service that prevents the claim.

This route is limited to twenty-three properties. That is not a sales line — it is how many stops fit in one night without rushing the work. Properties are accepted in the order reserved.

We are building this route now. If enough properties come in, we will confirm your place by 15 October and service begins 1 November. If not, we will let you know and nothing is owed. Nothing is billed before the route begins.