People Are Usually the Happiest At Home.
William Shakespeare
Don’t let the happiness of being at home be destroyed by an intruder breaking into your home.
Do you feel safe in your own home?
If you are concerned at all, the good news is there are simple things you could be doing right now to give yourself peace of mind?
If you’re like me you have mostly trusted strangers who come to your door, or you see walking down the street.
I was lucky when I learned I need to be more cautious and not as trusting when it comes to our safety.
Take Steps to be Safe in Your Own Home
Lesson Learned
This past Christmas Eve our entire family was home for the holidays. At the end of the evening, we had our own children, their spouses, and grandchildren all asleep after having a wonderful time all being together for the holiday.
At about 1:00 a.m., my husband woke me and asked if I had heard the doorbell just ring?
No, I hadn’t, but then I heard loud knocking on our front door.
So, we both went downstairs to see what was going on.
What we found was a strange lady looking through our window trying to tell us she was lost and thought our house was the address she was looking for.
I didn’t want to shout through the door and wake everyone up, SO I OPENED THE DOOR!
Keep in mind, we live in Minnesota and it was very very cold out.
Of course, we told her to go away, our house was not the address she was looking for, and furthermore, “WHO RINGS A DOORBELL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AT A DARK HOUSE?”
I wasn’t very nice. She went away, slipped on the sidewalk, and it all turned out fine.
In hindsight, not only should we not have opened the door, we should have called the police.
I mean, I assume she was driving unless there was someone else in the car, and she obviously intoxicated.
However, she totally could have meant us harm.
If there had been someone with her standing around the corner of our garage, they could have been in our house in 2 seconds of me opening the door.
Afterward, we honestly couldn’t believe we had actually opened our door to a stranger late at night and could have put our whole family in danger.
After all, we do consider ourselves pretty bright people.
Yes, we have always been too trusting and assume the best in people.
Having said that, Lesson Learned, we were lucky, but trust me, it won’t happen twice.
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Let’s Get the Facts Straight
- A burglary takes place every eighteen seconds in the United States. That adds up to nearly 200 per hour, and approximately 4,800 every day!
- Someone is home during nearly three out of every ten burglaries.
- Burglaries happen during the day, not the dark of night!
In fact most burglars work between 10:00 a.m. & 3:00 p.m. - The highest percentage of home break-ins happen during the summer months, especially July and August.
- A whopping 34% of burglars enter through the front door!
- Homes WITHOUT security systems are 300% more likely to be broken into.
- Renters are just as likely to be robbed as homeowners.
- On average, property loss from a burglary is over $2,500!
What Do Burglars Want?
- First, a burglar usually heads to the master bedroom first to find jewelry, cash, or even a small safe to carry away.
- All electronics are valuable because they are easily sold. This includes cell phones, tablets, game consoles, and of course. flat screen TVs.
- Your mother’s china or silver are still valuable and a great find along with collectibles, or even artwork hanging on the wall.
- Firearms, if you have them, lock them up!
- Tools are especially wanted by burglars, especially
expensivepower tools.
What Burglars Have to Say About Being a Burglar.
- According to burglars themselves, if people think someone is going to come running and crash their doors down, they likely watch too much TV.
- In addition, people who leave their lights on 24 hours while away with the curtains closed is an open invitation for a burglar, they don’t even need a flashlight!
- Most intruders do NOT want to rob a house when someone is at home, and people are more likely to be home at night!
So, during the day is the time to watch out. - Consequently, a burglar will knock or ring the doorbell just in case someone is at home and then, if someone answers the door they will have a logical reason for being there.
- Why is summer so easy? Because windows and doors are left open, sheds and garage doors are open & unattended. Plus, it is the time of year when people go on vacation and take their dogs with them!
- Intruders do not dress like cat burglars, they dress like repairmen or cable TV workers, so naturally, most people don’t think any of them walking down your sidewalk or coming to your door.
- Not surprisingly, dogs, especially large dogs will stop a burglar’s best-laid plans.
- Burglars agree, they especially avoid homes with security cameras and alarm systems.
- Read 7 Answers You Need Before Buying a Home Security System.
What You Can Do at Home to be Safe from Intruders.
Many of the most important tips from experts seem like common sense and easy, but the question becomes, do we actually practice them?
- Put a solid wood door in your bedroom with a lock. I know this would make me feel safer at night especially if I am home alone.
It provides more protection and gives you extra time to call for help if you hear someone breaking in. - Keep the cell phone charged and IN YOUR ROOM. I know of people who don’t bring their cell phones into their bedroom, but it is an important safety measure for any emergency.
- Leave a light on at night in a room. This gives the appearance that someone is still awake. Having a light on also makes it more difficult for an intruder to not be seen.
- Draw the curtains! We live in a house with large windows in our family room. At night, we are totally in a fishbowl!. We can be seen easily but we can’t see if someone is outside looking in.
- Keep the area outside your house well-lit. Leave the outside lights on, or install a motion sensor. There are motion-sensors that are sold as part of a home security system that lets you monitor your home with your smartphone.
- Keep doors and windows locked and shut both day & night. This might seem like overkill, but it is through open windows that intruders can easily enter your house.
- Cut a wooden dowel so that it fits into the track on your sliding door when closed. This adds extra protection if the lock is picked or the is glass broken.
- Do NOT open the door for strangers and if you do, do not let them come in the house! Don’t be afraid to turn someone away, it is not rude to protect yourself.
- Keep your garage doors shut and don’t leave purses or wallets in your cars!
- Burglars tend to avoid homes with a security system and the cost of installing one is totally worth your peace of mind.
What to Do to Protect Your Home When You Are Away!
- Unless you are on vacation, leave a radio or TV on when you leave the house.
- Have neighbors remove pamphlets or other delivered materials from your front door, and even have them park a car in your drive once in a while.
- Don’t leave any cash in the house and make sure there are no credit cards or debit cards easily found, and regularly shred important documents.
- Get a safety deposit box for birth certificates, passports, social security cards, etc. , honestly, you don’t need them every day.
- Bottom line is to invest in security system or equipment, and you can find helpful information from 7 Answers You Need Before Buying A Security System.
- Install a deadbolt lock on doors.
To conclude, keeping our homes and families safe is a priority we all share.
Be sure to grab your Free Home Security Guide & Checklist so you can start checking off all the things you already do and what else you plan on adding to your Home Security Plan.
Please share your own stories in the comments below and share the post with friends you think might appreciate the information.
Resources:
https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2014/crime-in-the-u.s.-2014/figs/crime-clock.jpg?kbid=62750&tag=safewicom-20
https://www.wikihow.com/Protect-Yourself-in-Your-Home
https://simplisafe.com/blog/salesmen-and-scam-visits
That’s interesting to know that homes that don’t have security systems are as much as 300% more likely to be broken into. My husband and I recently moved into a home after living in an apartment for years, and we are trying to figure out the best way to keep our house safe. I think we’d better start looking into having a home security system installed to help make sure that we can be safer and that we can have better peace of mind.
Hi Michaela,
I agree the peace of mind is so important. I also found it interesting that break-ins were more likely to happen in the summer months! Good luck with your new security system.