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Tips Home -Home Security: Burglar-Proofing the Exterior of Your Home

The days of leaving your doors and windows unlocked while your home sits unattended, even for a few minutes, are long gone. In fact, having a home security alarm installed in a home has become more of an essential than a luxury these days.

While having a security alarm installed in your home is a great way to deter burglars, it is just one tool of many that you should use to enhance the security of your home. You need to target harden the exterior of your home to make it look less appealing so that a burglar will not want to break into it in the first place. Some home security projects involving the exterior of your home can be done in as little as a few minutes. Some that are more detailed can take a few hours to implement. But, before you even begin any projects, it’s best to make a little cheat sheet or a simple home security checklist and keep notes of everything that you find around your home that could be a potential security risk.

Once you get your list up, you can start making repairs or updates. It doesn’t all need to be done at once. But getting your home security plan in action sooner rather than later is highly recommended. Remember, a burglar could very well be scoping out your neighborhood right now looking for a home to burglarize. Your neighbors may have already implemented their own home security plan, which would leave your house as possibly the easiest target for these burglars.

Walk around the exterior of your house and think like a potential intruder would think. Ask yourself “How would I break into this house if I needed to?” Let’s say you forgot your keys one day and needed to get inside your home. Would you be able to get in by simply lifting up that loose window in your laundry room that you have neglected to repair? If so, a burglar can get in there too. Mark that down on your home security checklist and get it repaired as soon as possible.

While observing the perimeter of your home, keep thinking as if you were an intruder. Where would you hide in the yard? Is there any perimeter lighting that would pick you up while you walk around the home contemplating your next move? Are any of the perimeter doors or windows in bad enough shape that they can easily be lifted to gain access into the home? Are there any home security signs posted in the yard or on the windows?

Based on your answers, you should have a clear idea of where you stand in terms of how secure the exterior of your home is or isn’t. It is now time to go over your home security checklist to see where there is room for improvement. Simple fixes for outdoor lighting could include purchasing a few inexpensive outdoor motion sensor lights and placing them strategically around the exterior of your home.

Doing a little yard clean-up such as trimming shrubs and trees and planting thorny bushes near exterior windows are easy home security projects to complete that will not only make your yard seem more appealing to your family, it will also make it seem unappealing to burglars looking for a place to hide.

As far as the exterior doors and windows, make sure all have strong working locks on them and are in good condition. Any door or window that is in disrepair should be replaced as soon as possible.

The last item on your checklist should be to place alarm company yard signs and decals around your home. You can get these yard signs and decals from the alarm company that installs your new home security system.