Good news! Property crime is on the decline. The FBI showed that property crime rates dropped 48 percent between 1993 and 2016, according to the Pew Research Center. Lower property crimes are great news, but you should continue burglar-proofing your home and help prevent the number from rising. Here’s a room-by-room guide on how to safeguard your house from home invasions.
Garage
Always keep your garage door shut. No matter how safe and trustworthy your neighborhood is, an open garage is an open invitation to go shopping. If you rely on your garage to store valuable items, install a metal or steel garage door that securely locks for durability. Imminent Threat Solutions recommends locking the disengaging arm on the automatic open with a zip tie, which stops burglars from disabling the automatic door.
Backyard
Protect your yard by installing a home security camera system around the perimeter and at entryways. You can also make your house appear less attractive to burglars by installing a high, sturdy and locked fence as a deterrent. You should be strategic with your landscaping, too, keeping brushes and shrubs trimmed low, as these can provide a hidden spot for burglars. Consider covering the ground around your windows with gravel, as it makes a loud crunch noise when walked on and may scare any intruders off.
Front Yard
The front yard gives the first impression, advertising whether or not your house is worth breaking into. To scare off nighttime invaders, create a spotlight on your home with a motion-sensored floodlight. The bright light alerts that there’s suspicious activity out front. Also keep valuables, like an expensive car or electronics, hidden in the garage or behind closed blinds. Burglars want to target houses that have the most worth.
Front Living or Formal Room
Securing your windows is one of your first lines of defense. First, keep them locked. Many burglars enter homes without any forced entry because a door or window was simply unlocked. Next, deter burglars with window security bars, grilles or grids. Reinforcing window glass with smash-proof material and using protective film or steel screens also help safeguard any vulnerable entry points.
Kitchen
The kitchen is the heart of the home where you’d expect to find signs of activity if people were home. One of Protect Your Home’s three tips to deter burglars is to illuminate your home, especially in the kitchen and living room. Adding privacy film to kitchen windows can further prevent a burglar from surveying the inside of your home. This film helps those who live alone feel safer, so a burglar can’t see there’s only one resident who can be an easier target.
Kids’ Rooms
Reader’s Digest found that it’s common for burglars to skip the children’s rooms. The goal is to gather as many valuables in as little time as possible. Since kids’ rooms don’t look like a hotspot for valuables, you may want to hide your locked safe in there. Install the safe into the wall or bolt it to the ground so a thief can’t walk away with it. There are diverse options to choose from, ranging from water and fireproof safes to document safes and cash boxes.
It’s never a bad thing to be overly cautious. Break-ins are a violation of your physical property and personal privacy, which can leave you pretty shaken up. Beyond any financial loss, you may lose your emotional sense of safety. Take the time to secure your home throughout with just a few tweaks and installations, because why take the risk of becoming a victim?
Author Info: Abby Terlecki is a marketing copywriter for a university in Phoenix, Arizona. At 5 o’clock, Abby heads to happy hour at her CrossFit gym to hang out at her favorite bar. In between writing and lifting, She explores the Grand Canyon state and enjoys the outdoors. She earned her journalism degree from Ohio University and has since made the desert her happy home.
