Burglars seek out paths of least resistance when it comes to planning and executing a home break-in. By spending time identifying the weak and vulnerable areas of your home, you will stay one step ahead and ensure your home is well-protected from any outside threats.
The most important thing you can do to scare away would-be burglars, is to get a security system and proudly advertise the window and yard signs to show that your home is protected. Aside from a system, there are other quick and easy ways to make sure your home is as secure as possible. Here’s what we consider the most vulnerable spots in homes.
Your Doors
As hard as it is to believe, the front door is where 34% of burglars enter. Most of the time, front doors are left unlocked as a result of growing too comfortable with your surroundings. That means the burglar isn’t even breaking a sweat when they enter, and their entrance goes pretty much unnoticed.
1) Solid Doors = Solid Security
Make sure your exterior doors are solid wood or metal. Most building codes require exterior doors to be built with this material, but there is still a chance your home has hollow-core exterior doors that will not be able to withstand someone kicking them in or forcing them open with a crowbar.
2) Stronger Door Hardware
Check to confirm your exterior doors are equipped with a box strike plate and 3-inch screws. Both can be purchased online or at your local home improvement store for around $5. Unfortunately, a lot of exterior doors in homes have a weak strike plate with short screws, which make doors easy to force open. A strong box strike plate and longer screws will make your door much stronger by anchoring the lock deeper into the framing of the home.
3) Protect Your Spare Keys
The first place most burglars check for a spare key is either under doormats or potted plants. Get a key lock box for your spare key and hide the lock box where it isn’t easily noticed. You can also get electronic keyless locks that allow you to set or delete temporary user codes within seconds.
Your Windows
39% of all break-ins occur through a window. When it comes to big-ticket items such as TVs, surround sound systems, video game consoles, or expensive pieces of furniture, typically they are located on the first floor or in the main living space. With unlocked windows, it gives burglars a front-row view (and access) to all the valuables.
Another of the major vulnerabilities in your home is window air conditioning units. Most units can be easily pushed in to gain access to your home. To better protect your home, add a bracket inside and outside to securely attach the unit to your home. You can also install sliding window locks to prevent a window from being opened beyond the small amount necessary for the air conditioner.
Your Garage Door
Speaking of big-ticket items, the garage is another place where homeowners keep a lot of those things, think lawn mower, power tools, cars, etc. Whether the burglar can simply lift the garage door from the handle at the bottom or enter using the secondary door on the side, the garage is an area of the home that many forget to properly protect.
Recently, there was an online video of a locksmith in Arizona who was easily able to unlock a garage door with a simple wire hanger. He showed that most garages have an emergency disconnect with a long piece of string attached that can easily be fished through the top of your garage door. Once someone can pull that emergency disconnect from the outside of your garage door, they can easily open the door and gain access to your garage and your home. The simple fix for this is to cut or remove this emergency-disconnect string. The disconnect can still work with the string removed or shortened but the string will not be accessible from the outside.
Your Porch
The porch is one of the fastest-growing areas of property crime. As online shopping continues to grow, burglars continue to steal packages left on doorsteps. One of the best deterrents for package theft is a doorbell camera. With a doorbell camera, you can monitor when packages get delivered and even speak with the delivery person to instruct them where to leave your package.
It can be overwhelming to try and figure out how you want to protect small areas of your home. With total home security, you can work with a team of security experts to make sure your home is completely protected and connected. Give us a call today or schedule an appointment and we can work with you to create a custom system that guarantees your home is secure from the outside in.
Categories: Safety, Safety Tips
