Burglars Be Gone!

Now that you have moved all of your belongings into the new home that you just purchased, how are you going to keep you, your valuables and your house safe? An obvious solution is to install an alarm system but there are many other less obvious things that you may be doing that could be compromising the safety of your home.

·         All exterior doors should be steel wrapped doors with deadbolt locks. Older wood paneled doors are very easy to kick in. Also, lock your windows, especially when you are away from home. Lastly, if you keep a car in the driveway, lock it. If there is a garage door opener in the car, a thief will have easy access to your house if you have an attached garage.

·         Don’t leave ladders and tools laying around the yard. You don’t want to give an intruder just the right equipment they need to gain access to your house. Make sure everything is locked in your garage, shed, or basement.

·         If you just purchased big ticket items such as flat screen TVs, laptops, etc. don’t just set the boxes at your curb on garbage day. These boxes basically advertise all the wonderful, expensive toys you have inside your house. If you can, break down the boxes and conceal them in your recycling bin or trash can.

·         Going away on vacation? Hire someone to keep your grass mowed (or snow shoveled) and pick up newspapers and mail. Also, have them go inside and open and close different shades and turn on lights, or set timers for the lights. A house that appears closed up and dark for a long period of time is obvious to a robber that no one’s home.

·         Trim trees and bushes near windows and doors. Don’t give an intruder a place to hide while they work on breaking into your home. Install motion sensitive lighting as well.

·         Don’t post anything on social media about vacation plans or times, or say anything about not being home. You can post all the fun details about your adventure when you get back.

·         If you are trying to sell something via the internet, don’t invite strangers into your home to view the item. Meet in a very public/safe place such as a police station parking lot for such transactions.

It’s easy to become complacent and overly confident that the area you live in is safe and crime free, but it’s better to be safe than sorry!