Protecting Your Home While You're Away

Your home is most likely your biggest investment; protecting it is essential. Did you know that, according to the US Department of Justice, American homes are victims of burglary about every 15 seconds, and the average homeowner suffers a lost of nearly $2000 in stolen goods or property damage. The key to protecting your home when you're gone is to make it look as if you are actually home. There are many ways to accomplish this.

1. Light. Keep some lights on (consider using light switch timers). 30-45 minutes before it gets dark is a realistic time for such lights to switch on. Also light the porch and yard with a time controller and/or motion sensors. Ensure nearby streetlights are functioning; if not, contact your electricity company and request a repair.

2. Noise. Soft noise may help deter burglars. Connect an analog type TV, radio, or burglar deterrent CD recording with a schedule-able player with timers.

3. Stay on schedule. Draw the blinds as you typically do to keep appealing household items out of view. Have your lawn mowed and yard cared for as you normally do. Don't get off schedule with clipping hedges, sweeping sidewalks, etc. Pruning shrubs also gives burglars less hiding places and opportunities to coverup signs of a break-in.

4. Doors. Lock exterior doors securely, and install deadbolts. Thick cylinder locks are pick-resistant. If you have any hollow doors, replace them with solid ones (wood or steel-wrapped wood-core doors). If you have glass next to your door, install a protective barrier of quarter-inch Plexiglas over existing glass. Use safety latches on windows. In double hung windows and sliding doors, install locks that wedge and bolt.

5. Use your neighbors. Ask a trusted neighbor to watch your home while you're gone, pick up your mail and newspapers, and take trash cans out on the appropriate day. Offer to do the same for them. You can request that the post office hold your mail and cancel deliveries while you're away, but you may still get flyers in your mailbox and on your front door from solicitors. You could also form a neighborhood crime watch to report suspicious activity, with the help of your local police department.

6. Alarm system. Invest in a good alarm system. You could even buy an alarm company sign, regardless of whether you have that company's product. Some systems directly connect from your house to the police.

7. Avoid publicity. Don't advertise that you are out of town (think of facebook, twitter, etc.) Simply notify a neighborhood friend. You can inform the police, but your address may be hacked, stolen, or sold to thieves and robbers. For that reason, many websites don't recommend notifying the police of your absence. You also don't want to advertise new purchases (don't put the box for your new flat-screen TV on the curb for all to see).