Protecting Your Home From Theft

Your home is supposed to be a refuge from the cares and concerns of the world. Everyone wants to feel that their home is impregnable, but sadly that is not the case. There are always bad people in the world who want to take what is not theirs. Thankfully, there are some simple steps you can take to help protect your property.

Secure the Doors

Good design is an essential step in discouraging theft. When you pick out the colonial style house plans for your dream home, pay attention to where the entrances are located. Doorways should be visible. A door obscured by a wall or porch railings provides a thief with a place to hide while he works on picking your lock.

Bushes and other landscaping too close to your home’s windows can provide another place for thieves to hide. You should choose windows that cannot be opened from the outside of the house. This is true for all floors of your home.

Ways to Secure Your Home

A thief can use a drain pipe or trellis to gain access to second-story windows that you might not consider as points of entry. Outdoor lighting should be designed to illuminate walkways and points of entry. Spare house keys are best left with a neighbor or friend. Thieves know the common places people hide house keys and can use those keys for easy access.

Good locks are another essential factor in protecting your cottage house plans home. Deadbolt locks, particularly ones that require a key to unlock on both sides, help ensure that you can only open your doors. Attached garages provide a natural access point for thieves since many people fail to keep their garage doors locked or forget to close the door leading from the garage to the house. It is an excellent practice to keep your doors locked even while you are at home.

Even though most thieves prefer to work in unoccupied homes, some will come through your unlocked doors while you are there. You might consider installing an alarm system. Cheaper systems include alarms that sound when someone opens a door or window. Better systems include live monitoring so that when a signal is tripped, a person responds to make sure emergency personnel are contacted.

While burglaries can occur at any time, your home is most vulnerable when you are on vacation. Thieves have plenty of time to explore your country house floor plan home and find your most valuable things. If you are away for more than a couple of days, contact your post office to suspend mail delivery.

A full mailbox signals thieves that your house is empty, and they can use your mail to use for identity theft. Make sure your doors and windows are all locked before you leave. If you have a trusted neighbor, have them keep an eye on the house while you are gone. You can also contact your local police and ask them to drive by your home once or twice a day to look for anything suspicious.