Vacation home security: the mere term may make you snicker, because let's face it: Some of us - OK, many of us -- dream about the prospect of a second home but are somewhat consumed with the single mortgage we already pay for our primary residences. Nevertheless, in today's generally strong economy, the number of Americans seeking vacation home ownership is higher than ever before. Some of us turn to time-share properties as a more affordable alternative. Each of these two forms of vacation home ownership present unique home security issues.

If you own your own vacation home and live there either seasonally or on a weekend basis, you're leaving your second home unoccupied for significant periods of time. You're also establishing a pattern of occupancy that any savvy intruder can soon learn and use to his advantage. If you own a time-share property, you own a percentage of a vacation home. You're sharing it with complete strangers who may or may not adhere to the same standards of security that you do. And, of course, you trust your time-share company to properly maintain and secure the property during those periods when nobody is staying there.

You may believe that merely applying the same safety practices you follow in your primary residence should be enough to protect your vacation home. But in fact, you need to go above and beyond the rituals of safety you'd observe in a home you live in on a more frequent basis. Homes that look unoccupied are easy targets. You've seen those homes with newspapers piled up outside, or that appear pitch black at night when the rest of the neighborhood is lit. Consider the following guidelines for protecting your vacation home year-round:

The ideal protective device - or as failsafe as one could hope for - would be a resident housesitter. That privilege, however, should be limited either to a very trusted family member (for example, a retiree) or friend (perhaps a non-party-throwing college student needing a room). Many communities have professional housesitting services available for hire, and while they can be expensive, odds are that if you have the resources to maintain a secondary residence, you can probably hire yourself a housesitter on at least a temporary basis.

Introduce yourself to your neighbors - particularly those who reside in your neighborhood year-round. Tell them what your schedule is, and ask them to keep an eye on things while you're away. That doesn't mean handing them a key, although you may wish to do so if you know and trust your neighbors well enough. And watching over your home doesn't have to be a job to which you burden your neighbors; simply ask them to remain alert to your home's appearance. Leave with your neighbors all of your contact numbers at your primary residence, so that they may contact you immediately in the event they spot suspicious activity. Give them verbal approval to contact the local police department in your absence, particularly if they spot suspicious activity and can't reach you by phone.

Consider the personal items you're leaving in your vacation home when it's unoccupied. Anything expensive - including cars, computers, televisions, DVD players and stereo equipment - should be stored under lock and key while you're away. Take photographs of all of your possessions in your second home, and store them in a safe at your primary residence for insurance purposes. Engrave your name on the back of your expensive electronic equipment.

If you don't have a security system in your vacation home yet, by all means, have one installed. Security systems are more affordable than ever, and they provide peace of mind as well as protection. Purchase a system that, if triggered, contacts the local police department immediately in your absence. Make sure your system comes with motion detectors, window sensors and outside decals or signs that warn potential burglars of the consequences of breaking into your home. You'll also want to place motion detector lights around the exterior of your home, particularly in back.

If you own a timeshare property, find out from the management company exactly what kinds of security measures they have in place. This includes the policies to which maintenance staff are required to adhere. Find out if the management company replaces the locks on doors in the event that tenants lose a key.

For most homeowners, the acquisition of a vacation home is the culmination of years of hard work. That's why you owe it to yourself and your family to obtain for your vacation home the most stringent standards of safety within your means.