You’re buying a place with home security components
A new home may come with a security system. All the components function well, are installed in the correct areas, and are ready to go. In this instance, just pick up the phone to call and establish a new contract. A Vivint professional will still come out to ensure there are no integration issues, and they could offer suggestions on upgrades. It's a preliminary trip, and you can have your 24/7 monitoring set up without worrying about any new components -- unless you get some new devices.
The old owners can transfer an existing Vivint contract to your family for a one-time set-up cost to make the transfer simpler. If the owners are moving to an apartment or retirement community, transferring the Vivint contract might be a condition of the sale.
You need to move and take your home security equipment with you
You might want to take your existing home security components with you to a new house when you move. That’s fairly easy to transfer, as modern smart devices are plug and play. You can take down each device yourself or contact a professional expert to come and take down the system. Then an expert will put in the same devices -- and any smart devices you want to add -- in your new place. The home security contract will stay the same.