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How to Make Your Home A Less Desirable Target to Burglars

06 August 2019

Securing Your Home Against Burglars

There are few things that make a homeowner feel more compromised than knowing someone has been tampering with their home - inside or out!

If you are worried about your home being burglarized, protecting vulnerable points of entry for your home is a great place to start.

Rosie on the House Well Lit Front Door

Burglars want to spend less than 60 seconds at your front door.
Visibility is key. Light the front door and install motion sensors lights. Make sure there is a good line of sight between your house and the street and to your neighbors.
Err on the side of caution. Install wide-angle peepholes and don't open the door to anyone you don't know!
Re-key a previously occupied home. You never know how many old keys are out there.
Secure the door by installing a solid-core or hardcore wood door to make it difficult to kick in. Use effective hardware including double cylinder deadbolts and bump proof locks.
Add a smart lock. A good smart lock like Lockly will allow you to let someone in even when you are away from home.
Add a Smart Doorbell like Ring that allows you to monitor the activity of your front door. You can share videos with your neighbors to create a neighborhood watch!
Add a sturdy, dead-bolting security door

Secure a pin hinge to the active door with sliding bolt locks mounted vertically at the top of the door.
With the header lock engaged, insert a small screw below the lever to prevent it from being unlocked from the outside. The screw can be easily removed should you need to open the door.

Install motion detector lights on the outside of the garage.
Make sure cars on the outside of the garage are locked and take removable door openers inside with you
The door between the garage and your house should be solid core and fire-rated with a good deadbolt.
Remove the chord opener and place a dowel with a teacup hook on the end. Put it in a secure place to use whenever you need to manually open garage.
Windows in a garage should be closed and fitted with pin-type window locks. Tint the windows if you are concerned about burglars 'window shopping'. Upgrading to dual pane windows will go a long way to deter burglars.

Simply put - inventory your possessions. Use a video or still camera and take individual shots of key belongings. Your insurance company will provide you with a checklist for inventory or you could use an app like HomeZada to make inventory easy, organized and accessible.
Check with your insurance company to make sure all your valuables are covered and add riders where necessary.

Secure your deliveries because porch pirates are here to stay. Packages on your porch will draw the wrong kind of attention and are often stolen. Install a residential drop box, parcel locker, or invest in a smart lock that allows deliveries to be placed inside your home.
A monitored alarm system is still a good investment but, many people are moving toward wireless, cloud-based systems that allow them to install systems themselves and monitor their own homes. Nest is one our listeners like.

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