Do’s and Don’ts to secure Your Home From Theives
DO’s:
- Arm the alarm even if you are only stepping out for just a few minutes. Experienced thieves snoop neighborhoods and note when people go to work or leave for errands and how long they are likely to be away. They’re ready to break in as soon you are gone.
- Buy non-specific signs that read, ‘This home is protected by an alarm system. As long as it doesn’t give specific information, it can be a good deterrent.
- Store valuables or jewelry you seldom wear in a safety-deposit box. Hide other valuables in places where thieves don’t think to look, like the garage, or above removable ceiling tiles. Or hide valuables in the deep freeze or in diversion safes made for this purpose.
DONT’s:
- Install but not use alarms. Almost every upscale house that is burglarized has some kind of alarm that is not turned on.
- Posting alarm signs that say what alarm company you are using. Thieves can easily buy information on how the systems are hooked up and can easily bypass them.
- Leave lights on. A light that stays on all day and night is no more safe than a home that is dark. Use electric timers that turn on an off lights in different parts of the home at different intervals. Web retailers and home stores sell motion detectors that turn on lamps or appliances if someone comes into the home.
- Conceal valuables in the bedroom. It’s the first place thieves go. Most robbers spend 15 minutes or less in each house.More than half of the time is spent in the bedroom, looking in the normal hiding places, an dresser drawer underneath the mattress closets, etc. Don’t hide all of your valuables in a single spot. A burglar is not likely to get everything if you put things in different areas.
- Bother getting a big dog. A rottweiler or German shepherd might look scary, but thieves don’t care. Most big breeds, unless they’re trained as guard dogs, aren’t barkers. What you want is a “yapper,” a small dog that makes a lot of noise when disturbed.
- Hide windows with landscaping. Tall shrubs give burglars a safe, dark place to force open windows without being seen. Keep bushes trimmed to below window level.
