Are you putting out the welcome mat for thieves and burglars? No one can guarantee your home will not be targeted by burglars. However, if you make some of these common security mistakes, it’s like putting out the welcome mat for them. Here are five of the most common home security mistakes I see.
Hiding the extra key to your home
We hid these keys for emergency purposes. Maybe we put them in the flower pot, under the door mat or buy one of those fake rocks to hid our extra key. These are the first places skilled burglars look for a key to your home. Once they find your extra key, they have made your home security system obsolete. Try a trusted neighbor or a lock box.
Broken locks on doors or windows
We know they are broken and we promise to fix them one of these days. Broken locks allow easy access to a burglar. These are especially welcoming on the backside of your home where burglars have time the find the broken locks. When fixing the locks, use this opportunity to upgrade your locks. And of course, you use the locks on doors and windows!
Inviting Landscape. Security starts at your curbside. If overgrown trees and shrubbery are protecting your home, they also offer a great place for a burglar to hide while they do their work. What do you think when you see a yard whose grass has not been mowed recently? This is another welcome sign for the thief.
Lack of Lighting
Who likes the dark better than a thief? A lack of lighting is a huge welcome mat. Use home security lights. You can use low voltage lights that come on at dark. You can use lights activated by motion or heat. Don’t let your house be a pool of darkness for the thief who comes in the night.
Not Arming your Home Security System
You have a wonderful alarm system but you fail to arm it. Studies show one of every three homeowners who have a system, fail to arm it. It’s an unconscious mistake that can lead to trouble. Put your control panel in a convenient location. Better yet, begin using many of the wireless remote solutions to arming your system.
The goal of security measures is to make it difficult for a would-be burglar to gain entry to your home. They seek easy targets and move on quickly when faced with challenges. Avoid the above security mistakes to make your home more secure.
If you like, Lloyd Security can meet with you and provide an entire home security solution that will throw out the welcome mat to thieves. Just give us a call in at (612) 874-9295 or contact us online today!.
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