Burglaries happen on a regular basis, and it is not a comfortable feeling to enter one’s home after a night out and to see that all of the cupboards have been opened and that some items are missing. Unless you have a security system, this isn’t an unlikely scenario. This is why it is important to secure your home, regardless of how old it is, how safe the neighborhood is or how well you know the people living close to you. You can never be sure what might happen, so take a look at some of the best ways to keep burglars away from your house:
Understand the Mind of the Burglar
All burglars are criminals of opportunity, so they frequently target places that they can easily access. As far as the time when they strike is concerned, in most cases, this happens in the middle of the day or during the night when the owners are either sleeping or out of the house. Having this in mind, it is very important to make sure that your house is properly locked and secured, and on top of that, you can also make it appear that you are still inside.
You can achieve this by installing different outdoor lights, not only above the front and back door, but above the garage and the pathways as well. Installing motion lights is also something that can come in handy, especially while you are sleeping or inside the house so that you can see if something’s moving in front of your house, but bear in mind that this can be triggered by animals as well.
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Keep Your Eyes Open
Apart from installing motion lights, there are other things that you can do as well to protect yourself from inside the house. Most Americans own firearms, which can come in quite handy in certain cases, especially when you want to scare someone off, rather than actually use it. However, this can be dangerous – some of the most common mishaps at home include accidental firearm discharge – especially if you have kids or if you live with someone.
That’s why it’s an excellent idea to buy a strong handgun safe where you will store any weapons you may have. This will not make the process of reaching the gun in case of an emergency more difficult, it will just keep it safe. On top of that, it means that if a burglar enters your home while you’re not there, they won’t be able to steal your weapon.
Eliminate the Burglar’s Advantages
If you take a mile in the shoes of a burglar, you will see that moving so that you won’t be noticed is not an easy task. For that, you will need plenty of obstacles and objects you will hide behind. Apart from the regular lights that you will install all around your yard, it would be a great idea to eliminate any other obstacles that a burglar might use, such as bushes, trees, plants, or even sheds and other objects. Keep your bushes trimmed, and the grass cut regularly. Also, if you have a tree line in front of your house, make sure that your light is on point as you do not want to give potential burglars any shadows they can hide in.
Check Your Windows and Doors
As far as the doors are concerned, check the frame of the door and the quality of the hinges. Apart from that, make sure that you install a deadbolt lock because it’s the safest. If you have recently purchased a home from another person, change the locks because this is the way to make sure that no one else has the key to your house except you.
However, this is not something that should be done to the front door only. The back door is equally a good opportunity for a burglar, so you should do the same here as well. On the other hand, make sure that your windows work, that they can be closed and even locked. Plenty of burglars use them as access points, so this is something you want to have in mind.
Remember that burglars like it when it’s dark and empty. This is why it is very important to create an illusion you are in the house (with the help of motion sensors for lights and different sounds that you can play from inside the house, such as the TV, for example) or that you invest in security systems and cameras that will let you monitor the activity in front of your house 24/7. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
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