To figure out if your home is an alluring target for thieves, you’ve got to think like a thief. They seek out homes that look like they’re easy to get into and full of valuable stuff. Are you inadvertently telling potential burglars that your home is a good place to rob? Here are some reasons why you might be asking for a break in.
You don’t keep your private life private enough
Don’t announce your every move to the world. With the increasing popularity of Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, and other social media sites, thieves have access to more information than ever about when you’re out of the house – and when they can rob it. There’s even a website, called Please Rob Me, that addresses this issue in a humorous way.
The solution is to make sure you think about what your posts are really saying. Be selective about who you friend on social media, and change your privacy settings so that you’re only sharing information with people you trust.
You don’t have a dog… or any other kind of security system
But don’t go out and buy a Doberman Pinscher just yet. It seems funny that a little yappy dog that couldn’t hurt a fly could make a burglar think twice about robbing your place, but that’s exactly what happens. Small dogs bark a lot, and may attract attention, while larger dogs are usually quieter and won’t attack unless trained to. In some cases, just pretending to have a dog can be enough. It won’t fool someone casing your house for a week, but it could fool an opportunist. Put a sticker on the door that warns of your dog, and consider leaving a leash and/or a dog bowl outside for an added touch.
Install an alarm system, and once you have it, use it! Don’t think that you don’t need to set it just because you’re just running out to the grocery store for 15 minutes. Thieves spend an average of just 10 minutes inside your home, and contrary to popular belief, more burglaries occur during the day than the night. Instead of putting a sticker on the door that tells the robber the make, and model of your alarm system, use a general warning that simply says you have an alarm system.
You don’t follow basic safety precautions
The FBI reports that a full third of burglaries are classified as “unlawful entry,” meaning the burglar didn’t need to use force to get inside. What does this mean? Lock your doors! It may sound obvious, but a 2008 study by State Farm reports that less than 50 percent of people lock their front door regularly, and that front doors are the main entry point for robbers. Large numbers of people also leave windows and garages open, back doors unlocked, and hide spare keys nearby, like under the doormat. Don’t do what they do.
Other basics: check that you’ve got good deadbolts on your main doors and use them consistently. Make the outside of your house an unfriendly place for burglars; keep it well lit (with lights high up enough so thieves can’t unscrew bulbs) and clear off overgrown grass or foliage that could easily hide someone trying to break in.
You don’t take precautions when you go out of town
Stop the paper. Hold your mail. Put lights on a timer. If you’re going to be gone for a long time, say, over a week, have a friend or family member come by regularly to remove packages left by the door and check that the house is in good condition. Thieves have been known to leave trash outside a house just to see if it’s picked up – a sign of a well-tended house – or ignored.
Also, don’t change your home phone’s answering machine message or write an auto email responder to include information on how long you’ll be out of town. Anybody can email or call you, and not everyone needs that information.
You think it could never happen to you
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that just because you’re in a “good neighborhood” that it could never happen to you. After all, doesn’t it make sense that robbers would target areas that promise to have the best stuff to steal? Take all the precautions listed above, and do what you can to prevent it.
1 comment
Mike
Uh, actually... I cover that entire list of precautions and then some. I even have trusted family members periodically go over to check on my home when I'm out of town on a trip, just so I'll know if there was a break-in and so that police can be notified immediately. Not to mention the fact, someone going in and out demonstrates that it's not left alone in an obvious sort of way. I'm also a large, healthy, strong looking adult male with a talent for being physically intimidating when I need to be. So, I don't think my home is much of a target. Even if people ignore the fact that someone's home and big dogs aren't afraid to respond to unexpected company.