5 Tips to Keep Your Home Safe During the Holidays
‘Tis the season… the season when, in the minds of some, desperate times call for desperate measures. Home invasions are up as criminals know there’s a greater chance of a higher bounty because of newly purchased Christmas presents on the premises. Hopefully you will never experience an event that causes you to feel fearful in your own residence. Because your home is your sanctuary, it is vital that you do everything within your control to keep intruders out your house. Below are five proactive measures that you can do today to ensure your domicile remains your Home Sweet Home, throughout the holidays and beyond.
Your home is supposed to be your haven – the structure that keeps you and your family safe and protected. It’s the place you retreat to after a long day, the shelter that keeps you protected from the elements of unpredictable weather patterns and it’s the refuge where you can lock your doors and know that you and your family members can peacefully rest your head for the night.
1. Evaluate your lighting
Employing light properly is one of the most economical and effective ways of increasing safety and security around your home. To determine if lighting around your home is adequate, evaluate your current situation while in total darkness.
- Start by walking around the perimeter of your house at night. Before you go outside make sure all your inside and outside lights are turned off. The purpose of this stroll is to help you identify shadows and blind spots on your property that occur naturally at night. If you have someone to accompany you on this walk-around, have that person take some notes. Many cell phones are equipped with a feature that lets you audibly record your notes. Be sure to look at the areas surrounding doors, first floor and basement level windows. Then look for line of travel one would take when approaching your home from the street and also assess bordering property lines. Garage, shed or other outbuildings also warrant a review. Record your observations you see when looking toward your home as well as away from it, as if looking out from a window. From the standpoint of keeping intruders out, what areas require the most light? Do you need to add any accent lighting?
- Finish this lighting evaluation from the inside. For this evaluation, upon entering your home, turn lights on as you would normally after returning at night. The goal with this is to ensure that your lights illuminate deep into the room. You should be able to immediately tell if any of your contents have been disturbed, which could indicate a sign of an intrusion. Avoid a situation where you walk in and flip a switch that turns on a light immediately above you, resulting in the rest of your home still in the dark. If there is an intruder inside, you’ll be at a disadvantage with this lighting setup. Rearranging your light setup may require you to hire an electrician to install a wall-switch that controls lamps located further in the room. If you have multiple levels, have your electrician install wall switches on the upper floor that allows you to turn on lights on the levels below.
Lighting is an often overlooked element of security that can be particularly useful when investigating ‘bumps’ in the night.
2. Landscape with an eye on security Continue reading
Don’t Be Tricked by Trick-or-Treaters
Halloween is right around the corner. Little witches and Spider Men will dot the streets as the children go house to house with that ever familiar “Trick or Treat” chant, hoping to fill their pillow cases with enough candy to ensure an extra trip to the dentist.
As a homeowner it is fun to see all the costumes and to bring smiles to the kiddos faces as you plop Tootsie Rolls and Twix bars into their bag. Though, in the midst of the festivities it’s always important to be wise when opening the door to strangers.
Many communities have posted customary times for the children to be out – generally 5pm-8pm or thereabouts. Invariably each year, long after the last princess has been tucked safely at home in her bed, and after porch lights are turned out marking the close of another Halloween – kids who appear to be far too old to be out trick-or-treating will rap at your darkened door, assumedly looking for sweets.
It never fails; the streets will be empty and nary a house light remaining on. Some of these teens are so old their voices sound like grown men as they bark “TRICK OR TREAT” apparently ignoring the fact that you’ve either chosen not to participate in the tradition or that you’re all done for the night – as signified by no porch light shining.
Do not feel compelled to open the door. Most of these tardy candy beggars are likely innocent teens who have no real concept of ‘too late to be out knocking on doors’. Yet it would be naïve to assume anyone rapping on your door at 10pm merely wants a Snicker’s bar. This could be an opportune time for attackers or burglars to gain entry to your home – after all, it’s Halloween, right? Prime time to let your guard down to strangers at your door.
I’m not suggesting you should be paranoid of every vampire that shows up at your door. Just to be vigilant and make wise choices. After a reasonable amount of time has passed for the majority of kids to make the rounds, turn out your porch light and lock your door – all of your doors, and enjoy the remainder of your evening without interruption for late comers.
Proof of our society’s decline is that Halloween has become a broad daylight event for many. ~Robert Kirby
About the Author: Laurie Ayers is a speaker, author and personal safety and crime avoidance specialist who has given seminars in schools, organizations and corporations. Her message is inspiring, humorous and empowering; delivering the importance of making wise choices to protect ourselves and those we love. Learn more at http://www.LaurieAyers.com
FTC Compliance Disclosure: I am a member of the Kwikset-sponsored SmartSquad and occasionally receive incentives to discuss issues related to home safety and security.
The Cable Guy Who Wouldn’t Leave
I definitely do not like to have anyone other than family or friends in my home. I’m rather protective of my castle and the contents which, most importantly, include my family and self who call this place home.
Yet there are times when contractors and other service personnel do need to come into your home. In extreme cases where it cannot be avoided, it is essential to be cautious how you handle a stranger in your home.
Recently it was necessary that the cable guy enter my abode to work on my internet connection. I had an appointment and he also phoned ten minutes ahead to alert me of his pending arrival. He showed up in a company van and was wearing a company uniform, so I allowed him entry into my home.
In walked a 6’7” man who immediately tried to make nice with my dog. She was not a threat to him and in fact, did not bark or approach him, so there was no need for him to attempt to befriend my guard dog.
After he completed his task, he again returned to my office, sat down at my desk and began to explain some highly technical advances that his company has made to their service. I didn’t care. I didn’t understand what he was talking about and it wasn’t relevant to anything I needed to know.
I gave him all of the “it’s time to go now” signals. Finally he walked back toward the door to put on his snow covered shoes and just when I thought he was leaving, he sat down on the floor and again tried to befriend my dog. I did not want my hound to become familiar with this stranger, nor did I want her to be able to recognize his scent, should he ever return. I wanted my canine to consider him a stranger.
I even went as far as to tell my child that we needed to go or “…we’ll be late. Get your coat on please.” When I put my coat on, the cable guy finally got off the floor and then proceeded to tell me about how he used to have ten dogs and his two favorite ones were killed by a bear. Again, didn’t ask. Don’t care. Please leave.
If you’ve ever watched any crime dramas on TV such as Criminal Minds or Without a Trace, you know that they often inquire if any service personnel have recently had access to the victim’s home, phone or computer. While that is Hollywood, even those shows use a technical adviser to ensure their story is close to what happens in real life. It’s not the first time a person of interest is a contractor or other service provider. Continue reading
