Did you know that every 25 seconds in the US, a home is broken into?
If you don’t think you need to worry about burglars breaking into your home, you’re wrong. Home burglaries happen in every city and in every neighborhood.
The good news is there are things you can do to prevent a home burglary from happening to you.
Check out this guide to discover the top ways to deter burglars as well as the top things burglars look for when targeting a home.
Table of Contents
What Do Burglars Look for When Casing a Home?
First things first, what exactly do burglars look for when casing a home? Here are some ways you may be unknowingly inviting a burglar into your home:
1. Vacancy
If it doesn’t look like anyone is home, a burglar is more likely to strike. Here are some signs that you’re away from home:
- Empty driveway
- Mail is piling up
- Overgrown lawn or shrubbery
- Lights are off at all times of the day
Whether you’re just away for the weekend or an extended vacation, all of these things are signs to a home burglary that your home will be easier to break into. Luckily, even if you are gone for an extended period of time, there are things you can do to fool burglars and make it look like you’re home (we’ll talk about those later).
2. Good Hiding Spots
The easier a burglar thinks they can enter your home undetected, the more likely they are to target your home. When casing your home, a burglar is going to have their eye out for good hiding spots.
Typically, burglars like to hide out in dark areas, areas with overgrown shrubbery, and behind trees. This is why it’s so important to maintain your landscape, especially near the side of your home. Otherwise, you’re just giving burglars free places to hide.
3. Expensive Items
If it’s a sure bet that you have expensive items lying around in or around your home, a burglar is going to be more likely to target you.
If you need to get rid of a box for a flat-screen TV or another expensive item, don’t put it on display on your curb. Instead, cut the box up before tossing it into the recycling bin. Or, better yet, bring boxes for expensive items straight to your recycling center.
While you don’t need to hide expensive items that are on display inside of your home, you should limit their visibility. The best way to do this is to invest in curtains, blinds, or tinted windows.
How to Deter Burglars
Now that you know what burglars look for when casing your home, let’s talk about how to deter them. Here are some simple things you can do:
1. Invest in a Home Security System
Investing in a home security system is the simplest and most effective way to deter burglars.
Security systems send you an alert when an intruder enters your home. They also come with loud alarms that can help scare burglars away before they do any real damage.
Additionally, these systems notify local authorities who will then investigate why the alarm was activated. If they determine that there has been a break-in, they will send someone to your home to further investigate.
2. Keep Your Travel Plans Private
Going on a vacation can be very exciting, and it can be tempting to mention your travel plans to your followers on social media.
But, innocently mentioning a trip on social media can open the doors for burglars who want to break into your home while you’re away. Therefore, we suggest you only talk about your trip to close friends, and if you want to post about, wait until you’ve returned home.
3. Make it Look Like You’re Home
As we mentioned earlier, a vacant home is a huge draw for burglars. Therefore, we suggest employing a few tricks to make it look like you’re home even when you’re not.
If you’re going to be away for a few days, have a trusted neighbor or friend collect your mail for you and take care of your lawn. It can also be a good idea to leave one of your cars parked in your driveway to make it look like someone is home.
Additionally, we suggest leaving one light on while you’re away to make it look like someone is inside. If you’re worried about home burglary in while you’re at work, you may also want to consider leaving the TV on or leaving a stereo playing.
4. Invest in a Deadbolt Lock
It’s important to understand that even if you have locks on all of your doors, they only go so far. Many burglars know techniques to break through traditional home locks.
This is why we suggest investing in a deadbolt lock. Deadbolt locks are extremely difficult to compromise. Oftentimes, a burglar will see a deadbolt lock and go elsewhere simply because they don’t want to deal with the hassle of trying to break it open.
If you don’t want to put a deadbolt lock on a sliding door in your backyard, then we suggest investing in a security bar, as these also make it more difficult to home burglary.
5. Install a Home Security Camera
Home security cameras are another great way to deter burglars from your home.
Oftentimes, the presence of the camera is enough to scare burglars away. We suggest installing security cameras near your front door, as well as near other areas of your home where burglars can potentially hide out.
Time to Say Goodbye to Burglars
As you can see, there are a lot of simple ways you can deter burglars from your home. By employing these tips, you can rest easy knowing you’re doing everything you can to keep your home and your family safe.
Be sure to check back in with our blog for more home safety-related tips and tricks.
