Squatters Up North? Think It Can't Happen Here? It Already Did.
An Unoccupied Home Sends a Signal.
Not Everyone Who Reads It Has Good Intentions.
You may have already seen the news. If not, here is the short version.
The Charlevoix County Sheriff's Department recently posted a public warning about a known individual who was first observed attempting to squat in homes in the area back in 2023. This past week, the department reported he has been spotted again.
Kit Tholen, the Charlevoix County Prosecuting Attorney, said it plainly in the Up North Live report: "Homes are our castle. They're where we are entitled to feel safe — and we are supposed to feel safe even if we're not in our home at the moment."
That last part is worth stopping on — “even if we're not in our home at the moment.”
That is exactly the situation for thousands of second homeowners and seasonal homeowners across Northern Michigan right now.
Your home is there.
You may not be or won’t be later this year.
And someone has just been told, publicly, that unoccupied homes in this region are being targeted.
This post is not here to alarm you. It is here to help you think clearly about what a visible, documented, professional presence actually does for your home — and why it matters more than most people realize until something goes wrong.
What the Warning Actually Tells Us
First, this is not a vague, generic alert. It involves a specific individual with a documented history in the area — someone observed attempting to enter properties in 2023 who has now been spotted again.
Second, the warning came from law enforcement and was picked up by the local news. Prosecutors and sheriffs' departments do not issue public notices about squatters as routine matters. When they do, the situation is serious enough to warrant community awareness.
Third — and this is the part most directly relevant to you if your Northern Michigan home sits unoccupied during any part of the year — the targeting pattern fits a profile that applies well beyond Charlevoix County. Homes that appear unoccupied, that show no signs of regular activity, that have no visible professional presence: these are the properties that attract the wrong kind of attention.
That is not an exaggeration. That is just how it works.
While Daymark does not service the area in the news, the pattern described is not unique to one location. Northern Michigan's entire region of second homes, seasonal properties, lake homes and wooded retreats face a version of this dynamic every year. Homes sit unoccupied for weeks or months at a time. Many rely on neighbors, cameras or nothing at all.
The properties that attract the least unwanted attention tend to have one thing in common: there is a clear, consistent, visible sign that someone is paying attention.
What "Unoccupied" Looks Like From the Outside
Think about what your home looks like right now — from the road, on a Tuesday morning, when you are back home for the next few weeks or down South during the winter.
Is there any activity?
Are there vehicles? Is the grass trimmed?
Is there mail in the box?
Are the lights on timers?
Are there any signs that someone has been there recently and might come back?
If the answer to most of those questions is “no”, your home is sending a signal.
A home that looks unattended tells the world that no one is watching.
What a Camera Cannot Do
Security cameras are great. I have several at our homes.
They can capture footage, trigger alerts and produce a record of what happened. But they have clear limits.
A camera cannot:
Remove a package from the front porch that has been sitting there for four days
Clear mail that has been accumulating in the box since last Thursday
Notice that the side gate is ajar or that the garage door did not fully close
Create the visible impression that someone was just there — and will be back
A scheduled home watch visit does all of those things.
It removes the obvious signs that the home has been sitting unattended.
It creates a visible, documented presence.
It produces a time-stamped record of what was observed and when — which matters both for deterrence and for documentation if something does go wrong.
Make it stand out
That is what it looks like:
Show Up.
Pay Attention.
Document Clearly.
Communicate Reliably.
What a Professional Presence Communicates
When a home watch professional visits your Northern Michigan home on a regular schedule, the practical effect is a property that does not look unoccupied — because, in the most meaningful sense, it is not.
Mail is cleared. The driveway shows recent tire tracks. Exterior lights are confirmed functional. The property is observed, documented and photographed. Any visible change from the previous visit is noted and reported to you promptly.
From the outside, your home looks like a home that is being looked after. Because it is.
That visible presence is not a guarantee against every possible risk. Nothing is. But it meaningfully changes what your property communicates to anyone who might be paying attention — for the wrong reasons or otherwise.
Self-Check-up Time
If your home sits unoccupied for any part of the year, a few things are worth considering:
Take a hard look at what your home signals from the road.
Mail, packages, an unmowed entry, non-functional exterior lights and a driveway with no recent tire tracks all communicate vacancy.
Think honestly about your current plan. Informal neighbor check-ins are well-intentioned. They are also inconsistent and undocumented. If something were to happen, would you have a record of when someone last visited?
Consider the cost of a regular documented visit against what it protects.
A Daymark Home Watch visit produces a time-stamped, photo-documented record of your property's condition — every visit, every time.
