Who said that home security has to be expensive?
You don’t have to install a high-end alarm system or get better lighting to make sure your prized possessions are not stolen. There are other simple and “affordable” ways to protect your house from invasions.
Keep the Doors and Windows Locked (Even When You Are Home)
There was a time when you could leave your doors and windows unlocked all day or night; in fact, it was a time when many didn’t even feel the need to have locks on their doors. However, we are living in an era where no one can be trusted –not even your neighbors.
An unlocked door or window can be interpreted as an open invitation to enter and once anyone is inside uninvited, things can go south very quickly. If there’s a meth dealer down the street you live, for example, his customers may come into your house looking for pills if they notice that you tend to leave your doors and windows unlocked. Even if you are living in an extremely rural area where the crime rate is way below the national average, you can still have an armed man kicking down your door and get your jewelry stolen.
Do you know there was a man who left his apartment and went down the hallway just to put his dirty clothes in the washer and upon returning found a couple of things stolen from him? He wasn’t gone for more than 10 minutes and yet he was robbed.
When people are at home, they’ll leave the windows, if not the doors, wide open as they believe that no stranger would dare to enter and help themselves on their property while they are home. Don’t ever believe that! Nowadays, home invaders are very “brave”; they’ve stopped caring about people being at home or not, which is the reason why a majority of burglaries have taken place during daylight hours.
I don’t know how important this is to you, but there was a true-crime show where the very first thing the burglar said to the homeowner was, “I bet you wish you’d locked your door.”
A Security Sign
Several studies have proven that the only thing that can truly deter criminal activity is an increase in the certainty of getting caught. And, security signs have been specifically designed for this purpose.
Most home invaders today aren’t the old pros we might see on TV; they could be teenagers, young and unemployed adults; in fact, most of them are drug addicts looking for stuff they can pawn to get a fix or two. So, if you’ve put up a sign for a full-blown security system, chances are they aren’t going to put the time and effort into hacking into these security systems.
Home invaders are always on the lookout for easy targets – a house where the doors are often kept unlocked, where there is no dog or where there is no security system – and a security sign would be a deterrent. In the UK, for example, there are many households that use an alarm security sign, with a true brand name on it.
However, there are many professional burglars who can tell if you really have a security system or not; they might also know that the cops are not waiting around the corner. And, sometimes, even when burglars do believe that you’ve got an alarm security system, they usually know how much time they’ve got to get out before the cops arrive so they will eventually barge into your house and come out with all the valuables in less than 10 minutes.
Hide Your Valuable in Places Where Thieves Can’t Even Think Of
Every property –no matter how secured it is – faces a percentage where it can be invaded. So, the best way to protect your prized possessions is to hide them in places where no burglar will bother to search through them. And, if you want to know more about some of the best places in the house where you can hide your valuables, click here.
