6 Security Tips to Protect Your Home During Vacations
Summer is the time of vacations, trips to the amusement park, long days outside, and (unfortunately) home burglaries. It has been proven that your home is more likely to be broken into in the summer, so taking steps to secure your home is important and will give your home another level of security now and on throughout the year. Securing your home effectively may seem daunting and possibly expensive, but it doesn’t have to be! Read these 6 security tips for securing your home, and be sure to contact Advanced Lock & Security if you have questions or need assistance. We’re the experts and we’re here to help you in any way possible!
The first thing burglars want to do is identify an easy target. Often, if they feel like it will take too long or present too big of a risk to enter your home, they will just move on to something else. Making your house a difficult target for potential burglars goes a long way in protecting your family and valuables. Your first step can to be reinforce your front, garage, and back doors, as these usually present the first choices of entry. Easy reinforcements include using Grade-1 or -2 locks on exterior doors. They are harder to tamper with and resist common tools used by burglars. Also, use a heavy duty four screw strike plate with longer 3-inch screws that penetrate further into the door. Couple updated locks with solid core or metal doors and it adds even more resistance to kick-ins and lock tampering. For back doors, sliding glass doors are surprisingly easy to bypass, so adding a brace can be a simple way to discourage entry. Blocking devices can also be found for windows at many hardware stores, and remember to always close and lock your windows, especially those on the bottom floor. Finally, adding visible alarm, dog on premises, or neighborhood watch decals to windows is often deterrent enough to make burglars move on from your house. They want an easy target, not one that has an authority-alerting alarm system or a large barking dog.
Another great way to secure your home is by getting to know your neighbors. Establish trust with them and agree to watch out for each other’s homes. Communicate with each other when you plan to go on vacation so you can pick up each other’s newspapers and mail, or even offer to park in each other’s driveways. When you know your neighbors and build relationships with them then you always have an extra set of eyes on your home, and this adds security to your neighborhood.
Lighting is another one of those easy additions that can go a long way. Invest in motion sensor lights in the front and rear of your home. Most of the time, a light switching on is enough to send potential intruders running. Many interior light timers are now available as well. A simple installation and programming when you plan to be away from your house for a few days can switch the lights on and off at certain intervals, making your home look occupied.
It’s been said before but it bears repeating. Don’t leave your house key anywhere outside your home. Burglars are onto this and know exactly where to look. Don’t leave it in your mailbox, under a rock, in a planter, or anywhere of the like. Fake rocks are not as realistic-looking as you think. Doing this is an invitation for burglars to just walk right into your home.
Burglars are often looking for easy targets with items that can be grabbed with little effort and sold for cash, so investing in a safe is a good way to secure your valuables in case someone does manage to enter your home uninvited. Safes are becoming relatively inexpensive and easy to acquire. Be sure to put your safe somewhere people wouldn’t think to look (i.e not in your master bedroom or closet). Also, consider getting a nice looking jewelry box, putting your less expensive items in it, and keep your more valuable jewelry elsewhere. If burglars think they’ve got the best you have, they’ll get out faster.
Finally, don’t overlook the importance of an alarm system. They are incredibly effective, especially when they are clearly announced with yard and window signage. If you’re worried about expenses there are options now to have wireless alarms that you can install yourself. Video surveillance cameras are also highly effective, even if they’re fake. A burglar isn’t going to take the time to check if the camera is real, they’ll move on to a house without one at all.
Each of these steps is easy and doesn’t have to cost you a lot of money, but can go a long way in protecting your home. As always, Advanced Lock & Security is here for you when you need any home security help or advice!
