GREENSBORO, N.C. — If you focus only on the numbers, you may never leave your home again. A burglary takes place in the United States every 15 seconds and 66-percent of those are residential. The items burglars are most interested in are cash, jewelry, electronics, and guns.
Burglars usually strike in the daylight hours between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. when people are often at work or school. They typically spend 8 to 12 minutes in your home. Burglars often head to the master bedroom first.
Home security experts suggest you put valuables like rings and money in a safe. It’s also important to hide the safe to make it difficult for burglars to find.
Burglars will use the front door in most instances but will also break in windows and garages to enter the home. The average amount of stolen items totals almost $2,000.
Homes with a security system are three times less likely to be burglarized than homes without one. Burglars will also only spend about a minute or two to try and get into a home before giving up.
If you can’t afford a security system there are several things you can do to minimize your risk of becoming a victim, “What we are doing is making it, so a burglar moves on to another home,” said Tom Garcia.
Garcia is a home builder and has worked with police on securing homes. One of the best ideas all homeowners should do is to replace the small screws in their door with longer 3-inch screws. You could also add a strike plate that makes it difficult to bust down.
Other tips homeowners should do include keeping lights on inside the home when you leave. It’s important to keep shrubs and bushes near windows trimmed so burglars can’t hide behind them.
Homeowners should also keep blinds and shutters closed so burglars can’t see inside the home, “You don’t want anyone to be able to see what you have inside,” said Garcia.
If you are going out of town on vacation or business do not post your plans on social media. Experts also suggest you make the home look like it’s occupied when you’re not at home. Leave a car in the driveway and some music on.
Don’t forget to lock garage doors along with windows when gone. If you have a sliding door use a dowel rod to provide an extra layer of security. You can do the same for windows to prevent a burglar from pushing them up.
Some burglars will try to gain access into your home by going into the backyard first. If you have a gate, make sure it’s locked. A burglar can certainly jump the fence but it’s an added layer of protection.
Below is a link to the top 10 things you need to know about securing your home:
If you are handy or would like to hire someone, we have provided a link of some DIY projects to make your home safer:
A home security system with 24-hour monitoring is certainly the best way to protect your home and valuables but for those who can’t afford the tips we provided could be the difference between filing a police report and the burglar going to a different house.
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