Protect Your Home With These 12 Tips

It’s important to protect your home not only when you’re out of town, but on a day-to-day basis. People often think that burglaries only happen at night, but many burglaries happen in plain sight while you’re at work or even at home! Protect your home and family with these 12 tips.

• Close your blinds. Windows give the outside world a sneak peek of what’s inside your house and whether anyone is home. Close your blinds when you’re away to keep burglars from knowing for sure.

• Trim your bushes. Bushes and other landscaping around the perimeter of the house provide easy hiding spots for perpetrators. Keep bushes neatly trimmed, and get rid of dead foliage altogether.

• Install motion sensors. Motion sensor lighting is a highly-effective way to protect your home after dark. Lights draw attention, which no burglar will want when trying to enter a home.

• Turn on the radio. Playing talk radio at a moderate volume while you’re away can protect your home by leading outsiders to believe someone is at home.

• Turn off your landline phone ringer. A constantly ringing phone is a sign of an empty house. Disable your landline phone ringer!

• Use device timers. When you head out for an extended trip, protect your home by creating the appearance of activity. Use device timers to turn on lights automatically at certain points throughout the day.

• Keep recent purchases out of sight. Did you just purchase a new flat screen TV, stereo, or computer? Great, but don’t advertise it to the world! Instead of putting large electronic boxes next to the trash, cut the boxes into pieces small enough to fit inside the trash can. We also recommend keeping these purchases off of social media, as burglars have found ways to use social media as research for houses to hit.

• Update your locks. Have you recently moved into a new home? It’s important to change the locks to be certain you control the only set of keys. It’s also a smart idea to make sure all exterior doors have deadbolts.

• Lock your windows. People almost always remember to lock the doors, but often forget about the windows. It doesn’t take much effort to open an unlocked window, and burglars know it.

• Install a security system. Perhaps the best way to protect your home is with a home security system. In addition to the added security, the security companies will often place signs and stickers around the home to advertise that the home is protected.

• Have a family member check on the home. Ask a close friend or relative to check on the home when you’re away for an extended period of time. Ask them to empty the mailbox and remove fliers that may be stuck in the door as these are two signs that someone is home.

• Get a dog. Man’s best friend is also a great home security system. A barking dog draws attention to the home and can also pose a threat to intruders.

Protecting your family and valuables is incredibly important. With these 12 tips, you can protect your home and give yourself peace of mind. Before you move into a new home, the best way to protect your investment is with an inspection from Inspect-It 1st. Our licensed home inspectors will give you an honest assessment of the property so you can understand any issues before you commit.