New Feature: Family Properties

So what is Family Properties feature in Mafia Wars?  The idea is as simple as you need to build and defend Family Properties: for the Family Property Bonus!  A good example is the Artillery Station,  it nets you a 1,000 point bonus to your Mafia attack (when its health is at 100%).  There are 10 levels to each Family Property and, in the case of the Artillery Station, each level grants a 1,000 point Mafia attack bonus. A Level 10 Artillery Station, then, will grant you a 10,000 point bonus to your Mafia attack!

When rival families rob from your Family Property, its health decreases and the Family Property Bonus you receive is reduced. Keep your Family Property fully repaired and maximally defended to maintain 100% of the bonus its level can grant you.

Here are the 3 main things to do when you built a Family Property in Mafia Wars:

Upgrade it. This increases the max Family Property Bonus the property can grant you. Upgrades are performed with consumable parts, which are available from robbing rival families' properties (max. 30/day) and from requests & gifts (max. 20/day).  Damaged properties cannot be upgraded until they are fully repaired.

Defend it. This makes it harder for rival families to reduce the Family Property Bonus the property is granting you. Each family member can add up to 5 items to a Family Property (higher defense stats = higher property health), but be sure to choose carefully, as the items you select will be removed from your personal inventory and cannot be recovered, even if you decide to better equip the Family Property later on. Items of all classes may be contributed; try combinations to earn a bonus.

Repair it. Restoring your Family Property's health recovers any Family Property Bonus reductions resulting from rival families robbing the property. Family Properties do not heal themselves; repairs, like upgrades, are performed with consumable parts, which are available from robbing rival families' properties (max. 30/day) and from requests & gifts (max. 20/day).