How To Protect Your Home Against Intruders

It's the nightmare scenario. You come home from a nice dinner only to see that your home has been broken into, or you wake up in the middle of the night to hear someone breaking a window or breaking the lock on your door. Home invasions can be horrific to talk about, but you need to plan ahead if you want to deter potential intruders. Here are just some ways you can protect your home. 

Prepare for the Worst

You should prepare for a home invasion by assuming the burglars will take all of your valuables. In which case, if you aren't insured, you probably should be. Double-check your coverage options in any personalized home insurance quotes. It can be extremely difficult to recover stolen items, so it's safer to assume anything that gets stolen more than likely won't be returned. Losing family heirlooms can be painful, but the right insurance policy can help make sure that you're properly compensated. 

Think Like a Criminal

Before you decide how you want to defend your home, look at it through the eyes of an intruder. What about your home would make it a valuable target? What entrance points would you choose? Once you've thought about what makes your home vulnerable, you can decide how you want to protect it. This is also a good opportunity to assess whether you need any work done on your windows and doors. 

Secure Your Valuables

It's safe to assume that most seasoned criminals know all about the basic hiding spots. They know to look under stones and plants for spare keys. They know to dump out drawers or look under mattresses for valuables. If you've secured your valuables in anything small and light enough to carry, the burglar is probably going to take it. A safe is a great option for protecting valuables, just make sure it can't be carried easily by one or two people. 

Light It Up

A well-lit house isn't going to be the ideal target for any burglar. Anyone could see them going in, messing around, and coming back out. To deter potential intruders, make sure your property is well lit. This includes your driveway and backyard. You don't have to have it lit up all the time, but some strong floodlights should do nicely. 

Get More Eyes

It's also a good idea to invest in a decent security system. Today, you can access and control many of them right from your phone. You can look at all the camera footage, lock doors, speak to people on your property, call the authorities, and more. 

Invest in Landscaping

If you don't take care of your yard properly, your overgrown trees and shrubs could be creating the perfect hiding spots for criminals to watch your house and approach in secret. On the other hand, meticulously planned landscaping can make it difficult for criminals to cross your yard quickly and quietly. They'll have to go around flowers, lawn games, and outdoor furniture to even get to your door.

Be Friendly

If you're not the type to socialize, you might want to try at least being friendly with the neighbors. If you're out of town and they see any suspicious activity, you'd probably rather they call you than ignore it. A good neighbor can even house sit or check-in from time to time to make sure everything looks alright. The bottom line is this: a neighborhood in which neighbors care about each other's homes is going to be far harder to burglarize unnoticed. Sometimes, the nosy neighbor can come in handy.

Discussing home intrusion can be uncomfortable, but experiencing it can be even worse. Worrying about something that may never happen won't do you any good, but securing your home can help you feel a better sense of control. By doing your research and placing the right deterrents on your property, you can significantly drop your chances of a break-in.