Is Your Home An Easy Mark For A Burglar?
Keeping Your Home Secure While You’re Away
How safe do you think your home is from a break-in? If you’ve got a long vacation or even short getaway planned, now is the time to take some extra steps to avoid any unpleasant surprises. Here are some tips to follow when securing your home before you leave.
Don’t post your specifics on social media! You wouldn’t advertise the exact dates of your vacation and best times to break in to potential criminals, right? Then resist the urge to broadcast the details of your trip until after you get home. You never know who has access to your social media accounts beyond friends and family, so why take the chance. Same goes for your home voice-mail too.
Enlist the help of a friend or house sitter. If it’s possible to have a trusted neighbor look in on your house, all the better. They can alert you to any emergencies, take in packages that might have been overlooked, water plants and keep the place looking occupied.
Hold the mail, papers and deliveries. It’s a good idea to have your mail held at the post office if you are unable to have someone collect it for you. Mail piling up in your mailbox or at your front door is a clear signal to strangers that you are not home.
Make it look like someone is home. Even if you can’t have someone stop by on occasion, use automatic timers for your house lights and keep your lawn mowed.
Remove your hide-a-key from its usual spot. Better still– give a key to people you trust. Ensure your windows are closed and locked and that all other entrances into your home or yard are secured.
Shut that dog door! Don’t forget to close and lock the dog door, some of which are big enough for an adult to squeeze into. A small child could even be sent through to unlock the main house. Also lock the door from the garage into the house, just in case they gain access to your garage.
Set The Alarm & Post the Sign In Your Yard Of course, set the alarm before you go and plant the alarm company’s monitoring signage right in the front and back yard (to deter back door break-ins). Alarm warning stickers on the window also work.
Knowing that you’ve taken extra security measures will ensure better peace of mind while you’re away. Now relax and enjoy that vacation!
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