10 Tips to Help Prevent Theft and Break-ins, Part 1

In our previous blog we provided some 'winter tips' to prevent frozen pipes. If you haven't read it, please do....it is suppose to be a chilly Valentine's weekend and next week! Now, these tips may not be 'winter tip' related, but they are some GREAT tips to help prevent thefts and break-ins to your home.

Tip 1: Lock it Up

The most important thing you can do to stop a potential break-in occuring is to make sure all your doors and windows are locked. If you have a thumb latch lock and a deadbolt on your doors, always double check that the deadbolt is locked. A great prevention to any potenital thefts would be installing automatic smart door locks; because more than 40% of break-ins happen without use of force. That means a lot of people are leaving their houses without locking their doors or windows.

Also, when you leave home it is best to lock up the door leading from the garage to inside. Even if your garage door is down, someone can easily open it.

Tip 2: Secure Sliding Doors and Windows

Take extra precaution to secure your doors and windows. Double check weaker doors such as patio or sliding ones to make sure their locks are strong enough to withstand kicks. Also, you can simply take a steel bar or two-by-four and slide it in to the back groove. This ensures that if potential burglars try to pick the lock, the rod stops the door from sliding back and opening.

Also, for windows you can install a simple pin or nail into the frame to stop it from raising more than a few inches. This will add an additional layer of security if a would be burglar pops off the window screen and tries to mess with the window lock. You can remove the stopper if you want to open the window completely, and then put it back in for security.

Tip 3: Secure Your Yard

By keeping things regularly manicured, like larger bushes and tree branches, eliminates hiding places and shadows that would help hide intruders. We are not saying you have to cut down every plant in your yard; but by keeping up with things, it shows that you are creating an outdoor environment that makes it difficult for a burglar to target your home. To go a step further, motion sensored lights are a great way to ward off any criminal activity.

Tip 4: Fake Out Potential Burglars

If a burglar can tell that someone is home, there is a greater chance that they will not attempt to break in. Most break-ins occur during the day when many people are at work. For that reason, when you leave the house, create an illusion that someone is still at home. The best way you can do that is by installing automatic lighting control switches to a few lights in the home. These switches can be on timers to randomly turn on and off the lights between rooms. You can even add your stereo or TV to switch on randomly as well; truly giving an illusion that someone is at home.

Tip 5: Don't Show Off

By leaving certain things lying around or in plain sight, like a nice scooter or bicycle, can unwittingly lure criminals onto your property. An easy solution would be to keep all items your garage and out of sight.

Also, after purchasing anything pricey and new, make sure not to leave the box out beside the trash can or recycling bin. That tells would be theives you have something brand new that could be big bucks on the street. It also might leave them wondering what other goodies are inside your home.

Now, these tips may be simple, but are often over looked. Be sure to look for Part 2 of our top 10 tips to help prevent thefts and break-ins.