Realtor Tips to Keep Your Home Safe During the Holiday Season

As a Realtor, burglary and crime are always a concern of mine. Home burglaries spike during the holidays. Crime is an opportunity event. The easier the opportunity, the more likely the crime. 

It is possible to "invite crime" to your home by ignoring certain actions hat need to be done to maintain the home. You can also deter this type of crime with simple tasks. 

1. The simplest thing to do is to put an alarm company sign in your yard. Having an alarm system is a great idea, but the burglar doesn’t know if you have one do or not if you don't have a sign in your yard and on the windows. 
2. Having motion sensor lighting can also keep burglars away. Crime takes place more often in the dark than in the light, so light your house up by the front and the back door.
3. Trimming your shrubs below the windows is a good idea. If you keep the bushes low, then criminals cannot break in or climb through a window in secret. It is fairly easy to open older windows with a putty knife or a crowbar.
4. Placing a large dog bowl with a large bone near the door, may also discourage a criminal from selecting your home to rob. He may move on if he thinks he will be met with a big dog inside the home!

On a side note: I once had a client with a home in a high-crime neighborhood that used a motion-activated sound box with a dog barking. It was so effective, agents would call because they were afraid to show the home. 

There are also steps you can take on the inside of your home to deter a robbery. 

1. Door Locks: A common way of getting in the home is to kick in an entry door. Hardware stores sell products that reinforce your door making it virtually impossible to kick in. Often if a criminal tries two or three kicks and if unsuccessful, they will move on. Cheap locks are easy to break through with a pipe wrench, drill, or a pick. You can buy a lock for $15 or $100+, but buying a good lock will include both a standard door lock and a dead-bolt. 

2. The next access point is a window. Windows can be reinforced. Locks that require a key to open, screwing windows shut, adding a pin to sliding glass doors make entering significantly more difficult and drive down the probability. In higher crime areas, you can use burglar bars, burglar doors, and hardened screens to keep unwanted people out. 

In addition to these ideas, if you are away from home, have your mail and newspapers picked up, keep your yard maintained, have a timer on your lights, and do not post on social media that you are 2000 miles away and having a great time. Wait to post your photos until you return home. 

Be aware of your surroundings, watch for crime in your community by following local news. Watch for suspicious activity. Criminals will case a neighborhood slowly driving buy, walking around, maybe even going on the property to see if they are noticed, prior to breaking in. Report suspicious activity to the police. Taking these steps will help to keep you and your possessions safe during the holiday months, and throughout the year.

Thinking about selling your home? Visit our website: https://www.locationlocationlocation.com/