Keep Burglars at Bay While You're Away | By Amy Schutte
Going on vacation - it's something most of us spend months planning. When that day finally comes to take off work, turn off the cell phone, and get away from it all, getting out the door and on your way can be hectic and disorganized. With all of the time you’ve spent planning your itinerary, it can be easy to forget about the home you're leaving behind.Before your next trip, take some time to evaluate what you can do to make your home as unappealing to would-be robbers as possible. Here are some surprisingly simple and affordable ideas that are worth looking into:
Close Shades on the First Floor: This idea operates on a very simple principle - if a thief can't see what there is to steal inside your home, a thief is less likely to try to get in. However, you should leave some shades on the second floor open, to give your home a lived-in feel.
Take a Look at Your Landscaping: Is there foliage in front of a ground floor window that would make perfect cover for an intruder trying to get in? Trim back any bushes that cover windows or trees that could be climbed.
A Simple Fix for Exterior Sliding Doors: Sliding glass doors are very welcoming for thieves, as they are notoriously easy to open. Buy a metal bar or wooden dowel rod at any hardware store to fortify the doors.
Lock up Valuables and Guns: Guns are valuable items to many thieves - put them in a safe that can be bolted down with any other valuables, such as jewelry or even passports and social security cards.
Have Two Jewelry Boxes: Whether you decide to have two nice looking jewelry boxes or one, the expensive looking jewelry case should be the one on display - and should also contain only the inexpensive or costume jewelry. Keep the heirlooms and real stuff in a safe.
Make Your Stuff a Black Market Bust: Engraving pens, which can be purchased at a hardware store, can be used to mark any expensive electronics. Engraving your initials and driver's license number can make your things easier to recover, as well as less appealing to a robber. By law, pawnshops are required to report ID-engraved items to the police.
Count on Your Friends: Enlist a trusted neighbor or friend to park a car in your driveway, pick up your mail and newspaper, etc. Whatever you can do to make the house look lived in is in your favor.
Not all of these tips may apply to your living situation, but to be forewarned is to be forearmed. No matter what you decide works for you, coming up with a plan in advance can save you from spending your vacation worrying about the home you left behind.
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