How To Avoid Home Break-In – The 5 Uncommon Tips

Home security is akin to an arms race – and being on the defensive side, you have to be creative. Everyone and everything you value depends on the kind of security measures you take. In one error, chance or opportunity, you could lose everything.

You could invest in the real thing to prevent this from happening. The latest IP solutions for home security are already in the marketplace. Security biometrics give you more control. Networked hardware and software systems are designed to give you peace of mind, wherever you may be. You could sleep like a baby every night if you are willing to pay the price.

But the real problem is when the burglar comes prepared – even the best security can become meaningless quickly. It is a race after all, and on the offensive side, it is just a matter of knowing what security measures to beat. So you need to mix things up with out-of-the-box thinking and catch the thief off guard, out of step and at best, red-handed. You need uncommon security.

1. Get an imaginary large dog.

You don’t have to keep it. Make the thief believe you have a dog – that is the important part. Place a dog bowl in conspicuous parts of your house. Put up “Beware of Dog” signs on your property for added effect. Borrow a dog from a friend every once in a while to reinforce the story. You could also play dog barks and growls loudly several times a day with your sound system. Even when you are out of town, thieves will think twice before entering a home with a huge dog in it.

2. Add security cameras in visible areas outside your house.

It really doesn’t matter if some of the cameras don’t work – the impression that your house is wirelessly guarded is already a huge deterrent. In the mind of a small time crook, other homes would be easier, and it takes extra expertise to break in a home with this type of security. Mix up the fake cameras with real ones, and let the would-be thief guess which is which.

Avoid Home Break-In

3. Make it look like someone is always home.

If you are going to be away more than a couple of days, let your neighbor park their car in your driveway. Empty homes invite the random ruffian, but if a thief sees light in your home, it may be enough for him to move on to greener pastures. You may as well let your neighbor get your newspaper – canceling subscriptions means telling more people you don’t know that you will be away for a while. You could also turn down the ringer volume of your house phone – an unanswered phone is the best sign that no one is home.

4. Be friends with your neighbors.

It seems counter-intuitive, but think of the herd and safety in numbers. The more tightly woven your community is, the better your chances against unwanted attention. You don’t need a formal neighborhood watch – in fact, the more informal it is, the harder it is for a crook to figure out which home is the easiest mark. A stranger will also stand out like a sore thumb, giving a potential thief less time to do his homework and preparation to break into your home. Being friendly pays.

5. Mix up your security.

Make your thief think – and you can mess with his mind as much as you want. Cameras with a motion sensors plus a dog is a contradiction in security – is the dog allowed for in the security system, does the camera work, or is there really a dog? Make his preparations as difficult as possible with as little effort as possible on your side. Let him try and beat all of your security measures, when your real security is your surrounding neighbors’ security cameras covering all possible entrances to and exits from your house.

Even the best laid plans cannot allow for something out of the blue. When surprise is on your side, you take away the only weapon a thief really has. And that’s the uncommon truth.

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