Successful burglars have a lot in common – homeowners who unwittingly give invitations to rob their homes. One of the worst feelings in the world is coming home to your door being open, everything ransacked and your valuables missing. You may wonder how they managed to get in. There are steps you can take to stop helping burglars gain entry to your home.

Home Burglary Prevention Tips

1. Don’t leave ladders in the yard that allow access to your second story windows as these windows are rarely wired to a home security system. To keep them out, you should store your ladder in the basement or in a locked garage and get your second story windows wired to your alarm system.
2. Burglars love to drive around neighborhoods on trash day (especially after the holidays) when empty boxes on the curb reveal all the goodies you received. Break boxes down and hide them in a trash bin or garbage bag to hide the fact you have a new laptop and big screen TV.
3. Make sure you trim your trees and shrubs so burglars don’t have an excellent place to hide while waiting to break into your home. Make sure entry points to your home are visible from the street.
4. Your backdoor should be a steel-wrapped door with deadbolts. Too many times the backdoor is a plain wood-panel door which are easily kicked in and the windows usually aren’t locked.
5. Many homes have a mirror on the wall in their entryway which can allow burglars to peek in to see if your alarm is armed. Try positioning the mirror so peeping eyes can’t see the alarm panel.
6. Newspapers piling up outside the front door and uncut grass are telltale signs that no one is home. Shades that are closed all the time is another indicator to burglars that you’re not there. Have someone you trust pick your papers up for you and cut your grass. Have them turn different lights on in the house each night or install timers. It’s also very important to lock any car in your driveway and keep the garage door opener in the house so they can’t take it and have easy access to the garage.
7. Leaving your valuables in an easy-to-carry safe is a mistake. Look into getting a wall safe installed or keep valuables at the bank.
8. When you’re away on a trip resist the urge to post pictures on social media as it just lets thieves know you’re not home. Wait till you get home to show everyone how great your trip was.
9. Don’t use geo-tracking apps that let burglars know exactly where you are.
10. When selling high-ticket items make sure you meet potential buyers in a public place and not your home. You don’t want them to know where you live.

Residential Locksmith Services in Killeen, Austin, San Antonio, Round Rock, San Marcos, Frisco, New Braunfels & Houston Texas

When you think of burglars you may picture the “professional” ones. The type of burglars that you need to be worried about are the amateur ones. They are the low key ones that blend in with your everyday life. A lot of times burglars will take the easy route and just check your front door to see if it’s unlocked. Have all your locks checked and rekeyed, especially if you’ve purchased a home. You never know how many keys might be floating around to your front door. Call Texan Lock & Key today for immediate service.