Making Your Home Safer Starts With Asking Yourself One Simple Question

According to ADT, a home burglary happens roughly once every 26 seconds in the United States. Some people install security systems to sound the alarm if someone breaks in, while others choose unique methods like door braces, an affordable tool that makes your house feel safer at night and when you're not at home. No matter the direction you end up going, making your home safer starts with asking yourself one simple question: How would a burglar try to get into my house? Putting yourself in the potential perpetrator's shoes can give you a new perspective, helping you identify weaknesses you might have otherwise overlooked.

If you are going to think like a burglar, it's a good idea to consider what burglars look for when choosing a home to invade. Burglars try to minimize risk by going for empty houses, which is why break-ins typically occur between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., when many people are at work or school. They look for empty houses with dark windows and no cars in the garage. Burglars prefer homes without a security system or a dog that may alert neighbors to their presence. They are often attracted to homes that show signs of wealth and isolated and accessible houses where they can get in and out quickly without being seen. Open entry points are a major invitation — in fact, roughly one-third of burglars get into homes through unlocked windows and doors.

Assess your home's activity, accessibility, and lighting

Before you start shopping for top-tier home security devices, seeing your home through the burglar's eyes and knowing details about the ideal house to target can help you make your home less attractive. Consider your schedule and when you have cars coming and going, gauging what the activity level looks like to an outside observer. A schedule that is too predictable will be noticed by someone casing the neighborhood looking for their next victim. And leaving the home for several days might make it an even more appealing target. If you have too many lights turned off or mail and trash cans sitting out for days, you may want to bring them in on the same day and have your mail stopped when going out of town. If possible, coordinate with friends, family, and neighbors to check on the house, taking away some of the predictability that could embolden a burglar.

Take a walk around the outside of your property to look for signs that your home may be an easy mark, like poor visibility from the street and surrounding properties or glaring access points. If you had to break in, where would you start? Be sure to check around the exterior of your house during the day and at night. Evaluating the property at night will help you determine whether your exterior lighting is effective. You can maximize outdoor lighting to improve home security by putting in sufficient equipment at all entry doors and near windows, as well as around the garage and any other outbuildings on your property, such as sheds or barns. Going a step further, consider deterring potential burglars by installing a conspicuous security system, timers and smart controls for indoor lights, and motion detector exterior lights.

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