Whether you live in a single-family home, condo or an apartment, it is wise to keep it as secure as possible. Statistics show that in times of economic downturns, home burglaries go up. So it is more important than ever that you keep your home safe and secure. Listed below are some tips that you can use to decrease the possibility of your home being broken into.
Lock up
Anytime you leave your home, you should always lock all of your doors and windows, even if you are just leaving for a short period of time. It is also recommended that when you are home to keep your doors and windows locked that are not in use.
Provide night lighting
It is always a good idea to have lights located in key locations on the exterior of your home. One of the most popular kinds of exterior lighting today is the motion-sensored light. With motion-sensored lights you are not wasting electricity until the light is activated. It is also recommended that you have an interior light on a timer, so when you are not home it will turn on automatically giving the appearance that someone is home.
Re-key
Anytime you move into a new place, you should always change the locks. You never know who a previous occupant has given keys to. An easy and cost effective way to do this is to have all of your locks re-keyed by a local locksmith. Also try to avoid giving your keys out to people like housekeepers and other types of service providers. It is also not a good idea to leave keys in outside hiding places.
Start a neighborhood watch program
It is highly recommended that neighbors get together and start a neighborhood watch program. It is a relatively easy thing to do and can have a great effect on preventing crime. You can contact your local police station for more information on a neighborhood watch program and a representative can come and educate you and your neighbors.
Have a watch dog
It may be a little old-fashioned, but dogs are a huge deterrent for burglars. Most dogs will bark when someone approaches a home, and most burglars will simply not consider a home with a dog.
Trim landscaping
Having heavy shrubs, bushes and plants by windows can create a prefect setting for a burglar to enter a home. So it is suggested that you trim and or clear landscaping by windows and other ways of entry so that they are more visible and less inviting for a burglar to use.
Install a security system
There are many different kinds of security systems you can put in your home. To learn about the different options, you should contact a local security service company. These companies offer basic to full service programs and although they will cost you money, it is usually money well spent.
There are also many factors that you cannot have control over with regard to burglaries. For example, statistically homes on alleys are a better target for a burglar because they can be easily entered from behind. Also with the use of cell phones today, a burglar can enter a home from the alley and have a “spotter” in the front of the home simply sitting unnoticed in a car. If someone arrives at the home during the burglary the spotter simply can call his cohort, who is inside the home, to alert him of the arrival and to get out of the house immediately. This makes it almost impossible for the burglar to get caught.
It is not possible to completely protect your home 100 percent from being burglarized, but you can take many preventative steps to significantly decrease the chances of it happening to you. The time you take to prevent burglaries, will be time well spent.
Trent St. Louis is a licensed Real Estate Agent and a member of the National, California and San Diego Association of Realtors. You can reach Trent at SpecialAgentTrent@gmail.com or at his office in Hillcrest, 619-300-1621. The Metropolitan Group (CADRE#01273643).
