Your home is secure, right?
If you have questions, or comments please leave them below.
The Lindstrom Group is happy to provide you with great tips for keeping your home safe, home buyer and seller tips as well as current homes for sale.
Please contact us today for more information.
We don't wish to "alarm" you, but I thought you’d be interested in this Home Security Checklist put together by the FBI. According to them burglary occurs somewhere in the United States every 15.4 seconds.
12 Tips to Protect Your Home
Make home security like an onion, not an egg. One layer of security is a minor inconvenience for the home burglar. Incorporating multiple layers of security into one’s home is essential. Not only will a multi-layered approach slow down or deter a burglar, but it will also give you and/or your neighbors more time to react in an appropriate manner.
If you have locks, use them. Many burglars will watch a target for hours or even days to gain knowledge of the occupant. Keep windows and doors locked at all times. This will help to prevent an intruder from gaining access to your residence whether you are home or not. Even if stepping out to the store only for a few minutes, lock the doors.
All exterior doors should be equipped with a deadbolt. While knob locks are better than nothing, they are fragile and easily bypassed. An experienced burglar will have no trouble tripping these locks with such tools as credit cards or pin knives. While deadbolts do not offer guaranteed protection, they are quite a bit stronger and offer a higher degree of protection, especially when coupled with a knob lock. Put the factory screws for the strike plates aside and use three inch screws. These screws will tap into the framing around the door making it even more secure. Be careful not to over-tighten these screws, as they will collapse the door jamb.
Harden inside garage doors. Garage doors leading from your garage into your house are just as important as exterior doors. Many times a garage is the easiest way for a burglar to gain access to a house simply because they are less secure. For this reason, the door leading to your home from your garage must be your second line of defense against intruders choosing this path. Many times these doors are lightweight and hollow, allowing for easy access. Install a solid core door with a deadbolt.
Consider the placement of new and existing locks. Locks should be installed where they are inaccessible to a potential intruder. This is especially true for doors containing glass and windows. A simple tap with a hammer or a crow bar can break that glass and render your lock ineffective, as the intruder can simply reach in and disable it. For these types of doors, and all windows place the lock in a place inaccessible from the window, if possible, or install a lock that requires a key to be unlocked from the inside. Install a peephole instead of a chain lock, which are inherently weak.
Make access to windows difficult. On the outside of your house, plant thorny, dense vegetation to discourage intruders from attempting to enter. Also, make sure any ladders capable of serving as a bridge over these plants or a path to a second story window are secure. On the inside of your house, place obstacles like furniture in front of your windows. You can also place track locks, or wooden dowels in the window tracks to prevent the windows from being opened. A safety coating can also be applied to the inside of windows to make them very difficult to break.
Secure all sliding doors. Sliding doors enhance your residence’s appeal as a target because these doors are notoriously insecure. There are various ways to secure sliding doors including “Charlie bars,” track locks, and a simple dowel. The most inexpensive method is to cut a dowel of at least ¼” diameter to within ¼” of the length of the bare track when the door is closed. When the door is not in use, lay the dowel in the track and it will prevent the door from being opened.
Hang drapes for style and prevention. If you already have thick drapes, use them. If you don’t have thick drapes, consider them. Thick drapes prevent a potential intruder from seeing into your home. If an intruder cannot see into your home and view your valuables, they have a limited idea of your possessions. They can only see what you want them to see. Heavy drapes effectively remove temptation.
Protect your valuables, even inside your home. Purchase a safe and install it in your home. If you do not install the safe, a burglar can simply carry it away. It is important to keep all paperwork vital to your identity in a safe that is both tamper and fireproof. Also, etch your name on all valuable items in your home, then record the serial number and a brief description of the items and place these documents in a safe place. Seeing a name engraved on an item will act as a deterrent to the burglar; it will be harder to sell and traceable. If possible, take pictures or a videotape of your valuables to aide Law Enforcement in identification.
Strategic Lighting. If you have lights around your home, use them. Place lights around your home in any dark areas. These lights should have motion sensors on them to alert you that someone is out there, and so the potential burglar knows that he/she is being watched. Motion sensors are also a good tool to conserve energy and therefore, pay for themselves quickly. Lighting acts as a deterrent to potential burglars because just like any other criminal, they don’t want to be seen.
Know your neighbors. Neighbors can be a vital tool in protecting your home. If you develop a good rapport with your neighbors, they are more likely to be concerned about you and your property. Offer to do favors for one another and look after each other’s houses while the other is away. Keep your neighbors informed about your routine and who is supposed to be at your house, as well as who is not. If possible, develop a neighborhood watch program within your community. If a neighborhood watch is not possible, then make an agreement with your surrounding neighbors to look after each other’s homes.
If possible, install a home security system. Home security systems vary in price and intensity. There are many low cost, yet effective, wireless security systems that are easy to install available for under $200. Most of these systems are noninvasive, as they require no wiring, and are easily expandable. If you do invest in a home security system, be sure to use it and keep it in good order to prevent false alarms. A faulty alarm does no good.
If you have questions, or comments please leave them below.
The Lindstrom Group is happy to provide you with great tips for keeping your home safe, home buyer and seller tips as well as current homes for sale.
Please contact us today for more information.
The Lindstrom Group
Keller Williams Realty Southwest
6180 Brent Thurman Way, Suite 200 |Las Vegas, NV | 89148
Office 702-540-1327 | Fax 702-988-8795
Servicing Las Vegas, NV, Scottsdale AZ & Los Angeles, CA
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