7 Home Burglary Safety Tips

Now that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are behind us, everyone knows that our homes are filling up with new merchandise meant for the gift giving season. Everyone including thieves.

It's unfortunate that we have to consider this possibility, especially during such an intended joyous time of year. But burglars are looking for the low hanging fruit instead of the more difficult rip-offs.

The key to preventing a burglary is not giving them the opportunity in the first place. Keep your house secure and the items inside out of sight to help deter the easy smash and grab.

Here are 7 tips to help make a burglary a little more difficult and turn more thieves off this season.

By Ljh3822 (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Store all of your valuables in a fireproof safe. Obviously this keeps your valuables locked down and protected from damage in a house fire.

The easiest way to enter a house is by using the garage door opener that you leave clipped to the sun visor. At the very least, lock your car. Better yet, lock the opener in the glove box or console if you leave your car in the driveway. If your car has the fancy built-in garage openers then make sure to park the car in the garage.

Most garage doors that are left open leave your tools vulnerable to theft. More importantly, in attached garages most entrance doors to the house are usually left unlocked too. Commonly, the garage leads to the kitchen where the majority of people leave wallets, checkbooks, and even cash laying on the counter when they come inside. A thief can be in and out in less than 15 seconds and off with your credit cards and cash.

Thieves again are looking for the quick take. I know some people that leave their $5,000 Rolex lying on the nightstand every evening. Once a burglar is in the house, the watch would be easy pickin's. This would go for checkbooks, wallets, cash, and credit cards. The least effort would be to put these items in a drawer.

If you are one who likes to keep a considerable amount of cash at the house; then don’t even think about hiding it in a sock or underwear drawer. That is usually the first stop for the burglar. Think of obscure places that are not associated with where cash or credit cards would be found. Instead hide these items in places like under a sink with cleaning chemicals, in an uninteresting book (not the Bible, thieves know that you are praying that they don’t look there), hidden in a freezer, or place items in a waterproof bag and store in the back tank of the toilet. Here are some great places to hide some valuables.

Burglars like dark yards to hide and escape routes that are dimly lit. Turn on your porch lights or install a motion sensor light. Even if you are not at home you should leave a light on inside. Maybe use a timer device to turn them on at a specific time. You could also leave a radio or TV on while you are out to fool a potential burglar.

Don’t give away the lay of the land on the inside of your home to passers by. If they have the opportunity to case your place then they have more opportunity to better plan a smash and grab as well as the escape route. Close the doors and shut the blinds especially at night.

Not many homes are completely burglar-proof but staying conscious of these seven areas will definitely slow the burglar down and reduce their opportunity to rob you.

Again, one of the best methods is to have a fireproof safe installed to hide your valuables. Fire safes also offer the dual protection against a house fire. If your budget does not afford the purchase of a safe then please practice the seven tips and find more advice like this to add to your protection. Have a Safe Day

Do you know other methods to slow down potential thieves or prevent your home from being burglarized? Add a comment below, you could be helping some one keep their belongings secure and possibly their loved ones out of danger.