5 Tips To Deter Intruders From Trying To Break Into Your Home

People should be safe in their own home, but unfortunately, that's not always the case. It's important to do whatever you can to keep your home secure. The best thing you can do is deter intruders from even attempting to break into your home. Here are 5 tips for keeping burglars away.

1. Don't flaunt your value

If you live in a mansion, it's difficult to hide your wealth. However, one-percenters usually have beefed up security in their neighborhoods. For the rest of the 99 percent, you need to be modest about what you have so burglars aren't tempted to get in. Don't keep your curtains open with your 3-D television aimed at the street, and don't keep your Mercedes in the driveway. If you have other items of high value that are easily seen from the street, do what you can to conceal them as much as possible. The less you appear to have, the less a burglar will want to break into your home. No one wants to chance jail time for a change jar and old furniture.

2. Install sliding doors wherever possible

Sliding doors are the most difficult to break into. This is because you can place a stick or a rod in the track next to the door that keeps the door from opening. People can pick locks, but they can't make a stick or a rod vanish. The only way to get through a sliding door with a rod in place is to break the glass, which will alert you and the neighborhood.

3. Install motion lights

If you keep security lights on all of the time, they won't necessarily deter burglars. If an intruder sees that a light is always on, they may not be swayed by it. Motion lights only turn on when someone is outside. This causes homeowners to check outside whenever their motion light is triggered. If a burglar triggers a motion light, they're likely to run for the hills because they'll expect someone to come outside or look through a window.

4. Timed indoor lighting

Indoor lighting is a great way to scare away an intruder. It's especially useful while you're away on vacation. If you leave lights on when you leave, it looks odd. If you have lights on all night long for days, someone watching your house will suspect that no one is home, plus, you will run up quite an electric bill. If the lights are on timers, an intruder will think someone is inside the house turning the lights on. You can set your lights to turn on for 15 minutes at midnight and then again at 3 am or whatever interval makes you comfortable. You can buy timers for individual lamps or timers for ceiling lights in certain rooms of your home.

5. Strategically hide house keys

Don't put your spare house key under your door mat or on top of your door frame. Those are the two places that an intruder will look when trying to get into your home. If someone sees you stick a key under your welcome mat every morning, it might be way too tempting for them to resist. If you want a spare key around your home, give one to a trusted neighbor if you have one that is home often. If not, find a place in your back yard, bury it somewhere in a plastic bag, or hide it in another less-obvious place on your property.

You shouldn't have to be so careful about your home. It's not fair to worry about having your personal space intruded. Unfortunately, it's the reality. Don't flaunt your expensive items, keep timed lighting inside, motion lighting outside, and don't stick house keys anywhere near your front door.

Talk with a locksmith and check out a site like http://www.suburbanlock.com for more information on making your home a secure place.


Share