A break-in is every homeowner’s worst nightmare. Even if you have homeowner’s insurance to cover any damages, it’s still a major hassle, and having your personal belongings taken can cause quite a bit of stress. Although you can never completely eliminate the possibility of a break-in, you can minimize your risk. The following five tips will help make your home much more secure.
Set up a Fence around Your Property
A fence with a gate provides a layer of protection around your property. A determined thief could obviously just climb the fence, but it’s important to understand how thieves operate. They case neighborhoods looking for the easiest targets with the most valuable possessions. A fence limits their visibility into your home and yard, and it makes their job more difficult. Instead of being able to walk up to your window or door, a thief will need to climb over a fence in full view of any people passing by, which is a risk many won’t be willing to take.
Install Lights with Motion Sensors
Many thieves hit houses at night because it’s easier to avoid detection under the cover of darkness. Lights with motion sensors will turn on automatically when there’s any movement in the area. Floodlights are particularly effective at deterring thieves. Another benefit with these lights is that you won’t need to stumble around in the dark if you get home late at night.
Work with a Home Security Service
If you want to give your home the maximum amount of protection, it’s a good idea to call in the professionals. With a home security service like AMP Security or someone similar, you can have a system set up at your home that will require a code upon entry. If a thief breaks in, your service provider will know about it immediately and can alert the authorities.
When you use a home security service, you may consider putting a sign in your yard mentioning that your home is protected by that company. It’s a better idea to avoid a sign entirely or put up a generic sign that doesn’t specify which home security service you use. Determined thieves can sometimes figure out how to disable home security systems if they know what type of system you’re using.
Don’t Leave Any Easy Ways into Your Home
Whether you’re home or not, get into the habit of keeping your doors and windows locked. Many break-ins don’t require any actual breaking in—homeowners just forget to lock the door, or thieves go in through a window that the homeowner always keeps unlocked.
Speaking of easy ways into your home, don’t be one of the many people hiding a key in an obvious place outside. If you leave a key under your doormat, you might as well just leave it in the door. It’s better to give a spare key to someone you know and trust.
Keep Valuables Concealed
As mentioned earlier, thieves want to hit homes with valuable items instead of wasting their time on a place that may have nothing good. When you conceal your valuables, you make your home a less likely target. That means keeping the expensive outdoor appliances in the garage when they’re not in use and closing all your curtains so that thieves can’t peek in and see your TV or other high-dollar items.
It’s not that difficult to secure your home and reduce the chances of a successful break-in. When you set up a few security measures and get into the right habits, you’ll be a much less appealing target for a thief.