Of all the ideas about making home security plans work these days, perhaps none is as effective as thinking like a burglar.
It's the old Art of War tactic of getting inside your opponent's head to trip him up at his own game.
While you'll never be able to fully inhabit the mind of a troubled criminal, you can at least see how you would go about robbing your own home.
Once you combine that with statistics about real burglaries, you'll be on the way to beefing up home security in no time.
1.
Make the approach to your home from the front.
Seeing your home from the front is how most prowlers will see it.
Front door entries are still king in the world of burglaries.
Make sure you can't slip inside your yard unseen - trim back the hedges and remove other obstructions.
Burglars can hide behind these things and move when the coast is clear.
Also, try to get at the windows - the number 2 place for break-ins - and see if you have planted the right types of bushes in your yard (the thornier, the better).
2.
Try to tell if anyone is home.
Does it look like someone is at home? Even if your house has been empty for weeks, you should always try and make the effort to have it appear occupied.
Light and TV timers can help out, as well as keeping an extra car in the driveway when you are gone for the day.
If it's holiday time, have a neighbor pick up your mail on a daily basis so you don't ignore home security vacation tip #1.
3.
See if there is any reason to believe you have an alarm working.
Is there any way for a burglar to know that you have a home alarm installed and a monitoring service company watching over it? If not, you are missing out on one of the great deterrents at your disposal.
Put up a sign warning trespassers about your alarm system.
These signs are so effective that many people without alarms put them up to take advantage.
4.
Try to open your car doors and get in the garage.
What's in the garage? Well, for starters, your car(s) plus whatever tools and equipment you keep there.
Can you walk inside your garage without much of a fight and no alarm sounding? Can you get inside your car without even dealing with a lock? If so, you are neglecting some very important home security measures, ones that are very easy to put into effect.
5.
See how your back door and basement would trip up a burglar.
If you have taken the recommended measures of shoring up your front door, it might send a burglar straight to another entrance point.
Don't let your guard down with the back and basement doors of your house.
Take the same level of precautions and keep them locked even when you are at home.
It's the old Art of War tactic of getting inside your opponent's head to trip him up at his own game.
While you'll never be able to fully inhabit the mind of a troubled criminal, you can at least see how you would go about robbing your own home.
Once you combine that with statistics about real burglaries, you'll be on the way to beefing up home security in no time.
1.
Make the approach to your home from the front.
Seeing your home from the front is how most prowlers will see it.
Front door entries are still king in the world of burglaries.
Make sure you can't slip inside your yard unseen - trim back the hedges and remove other obstructions.
Burglars can hide behind these things and move when the coast is clear.
Also, try to get at the windows - the number 2 place for break-ins - and see if you have planted the right types of bushes in your yard (the thornier, the better).
2.
Try to tell if anyone is home.
Does it look like someone is at home? Even if your house has been empty for weeks, you should always try and make the effort to have it appear occupied.
Light and TV timers can help out, as well as keeping an extra car in the driveway when you are gone for the day.
If it's holiday time, have a neighbor pick up your mail on a daily basis so you don't ignore home security vacation tip #1.
3.
See if there is any reason to believe you have an alarm working.
Is there any way for a burglar to know that you have a home alarm installed and a monitoring service company watching over it? If not, you are missing out on one of the great deterrents at your disposal.
Put up a sign warning trespassers about your alarm system.
These signs are so effective that many people without alarms put them up to take advantage.
4.
Try to open your car doors and get in the garage.
What's in the garage? Well, for starters, your car(s) plus whatever tools and equipment you keep there.
Can you walk inside your garage without much of a fight and no alarm sounding? Can you get inside your car without even dealing with a lock? If so, you are neglecting some very important home security measures, ones that are very easy to put into effect.
5.
See how your back door and basement would trip up a burglar.
If you have taken the recommended measures of shoring up your front door, it might send a burglar straight to another entrance point.
Don't let your guard down with the back and basement doors of your house.
Take the same level of precautions and keep them locked even when you are at home.
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