Looking for a few ways to keep your home safe and valuables secure? In this article, we’ll share five simple tips to help prevent a burglary so you can sleep easier at night.
Check Locks on Doors and Windows
Whether you’re brand new to the home or you’ve been there for quite some time, it’s a good habit to regularly check the locks on all doors and windows to make sure they are in proper working order and don’t need replacing. This is particularly important if you’ve just moved into the home or apartment. Replace all the locks to the doors so that you can guarantee that you’re the only person with the key to getting inside.
In addition to checking the locks on the doors, you’ll also want to check the locking mechanisms on the windows throughout the house. This includes those above the first floor. Sometimes people can forget about windows above ground level, but if a thief wants to get in badly enough then he’ll find some way to climb to get inside.
Secure All Entry Points
After you’ve checked all the doors and windows to verify that the locks are in good condition, then the next obvious thing is to make sure that you always use them. Keep your doors and windows closed and locked unless you know that you’ll be in close proximity. In other words, if you’re planning a BBQ in the backyard then keep the doors and windows near the front of the house closed and locked to prevent any dubious passerby from taking advantage of the situation. The would-be crook could be in and out with a handful of valuables before anyone is the wiser. That being said, protect yourself and your home from intruders looking to exploit an innocent situation for their own benefit.
Don’t Leave Valuables Near an Open Window
This follows the point made above. Don’t leave valuables near doorways or open windows. First off, this will keep onlookers from knowing what you have inside. It will also help prevent your valuable items from simply “growing legs and walking away” when you’re not paying attention.
Invest in a Home Security System
These days, there are a number of home alarm systems that you can purchase to protect your home and keep your valuables safe. Security systems can range from elaborate state-of-the-art packages that include all the bells and whistles, or you can get something a bit more modest if you’re on a budget. Either way, adding an alarm system to your home can go a long way in providing peace of mind for your family members inside.
Don’t Broadcast Vacations
Another thing you can do to help prevent a burglary is to refrain from broadcasting when you’ll be away from home. While going on vacation can be an exciting time, it’s not a good idea to tell too many people beforehand. It’s an even worse idea to make this piece of information public knowledge on social media. The reason being, that you can’t control where the information will end up and you won’t know what someone is capable of doing until it’s too late.
Imagine how awful you’d feel returning home from a fun vacation to find your home had been burglarized. Think how much worse of a feeling it would be if you learned that the burglar had actually been tipped off to your absence because you posted about it online. That being said, save the announcements and photo sharing until after you’ve returned home.
