Guest Blogger: How to Ensure your Home Isn’t a Target for Crime

How safe is your home against a burglary? Here’s something to think about: Did you know that approximately 30 of every 1000 homes in the United States are burglarized each year? Did you also know that out of those 30 houses, 64 percent are broken into between the hours of 6am-6pm and that for 34 percent of them, burglars actually use the front door?

So, being that statistics cite that a home is broken into about every 15 seconds, it’s smart to know about some of the things that you can do to make it more challenging for your house to be a target for crime.

Is your home safe?

Image via: Celtic Custom Homes

Here are our top five “house crime-proofing” recommendations below:

Get an alarm system.

This tip probably sounds obvious and yet, you might be surprised by how many homes go without having one. The benefits of an alarm system are not only do they deter criminals from breaking into your house, but they can provide you with a discount on your house insurance while upgrading your property value.

Keep up your yard.

A thief is going to look for some clues that a house is a “low risk” place to steal from. One of the things that they will look for is a yard that is not kept up on a regular basis, including if it has mail that is stacked up in the mailbox or newspapers accumulating on the porch. Therefore, make sure that you are up-to-date on your landscaping. Oh, and while we’re on this particular subject, also make sure to keep your trees and shrubs trimmed up. When you don’t, that’s a perfect hideout for a criminal as he makes his entrance (or his escape).

Light it up.

When a house has no lights inside or out, that is definitely making it vulnerable to being attacked. That’s why it’s a good idea to have at least one light on in a room that can be visibly seen from outside, plus, it’s smart to install some outdoor motion lights. One of the huge benefits about them is that being that they are not constantly on, when you notice them turning on and off, it serves as a signal of some outdoor activity.

Keep your home safe this season

Image via: Brown Davis

Have a “neighborhood buddy system”.

When using a security system, whether you decide to go with Access Control London or with a company here in the States, one thing that you’ll be advised to do is to cultivate a healthy interaction with your neighbors. That way, they can look out for your house when you’re out of town and they will be more inclined to let you know if they suspect anything strange is going on in or around your yard.

Hide your valuables.

Most people know not to leave their expensive jewelry lying around; however, what we mean by this is that you should put your precious valuables in places where a burglar would not think first to go (which means avoiding the refrigerator or cookie jar). The harder they have to work to get what they want, the more frustrated they’ll become and with any luck, they will leave your house empty-handed.

For more home safety tips on Stagetecture, click here.