With the holidays approaching, you may be planning travel or extended get-togethers with family and friends.
Leaving your home unattended may cause extra reasons for anxiety when there are presents around and thieves are alert to the fact that people leave their homes for extended periods of time.
But there are some great security tips you can use to make sure your home and belongings are secure during the holiday months, even if you’re gone for an extended period of time. It will also alert potential burglars that your home is not one to be messed with.
Installing motion-sensor lighting in the driveway, side yards, and backyard is an important step in keeping your home safe. No one wants to start breaking into a house while flooded by a spotlight! It also alerts neighbors to anything that might be happening at your home.
Here are some of the best ranked security lighting systems for your home, recommended by Better Homes & Garden. They’re affordable too, ranging in price from $15 to $90.
If you’re gone for a period of time on vacation, you may wonder if it’s best to leave your lights on so that people get the sense someone is home. While there is some disagreement as to what is best, some experts say that you should mimic whatever you do when you are at home, according to NPR. You can set a timer to turn your lights on during the day and off at night. You can even install a timer for your TV!
Here are some timer options for indoors as well as ones you can control with your smartphone.
A home security system is a great way to deter thieves from breaking into the home, and burglars are more likely to skip houses when they see a camera, according to TechRadar.
You may be worried that a security system could be too costly, especially if you’re looking for one just for the time you’re away from your home. The good news is that there are some great affordable home security systems out there, and you can customize your own security to have as many or as few devices as you’d like.
PC Magazine has a list of security options that can range in price, from outdoor cameras that connect to your smartphone to indoor motion sensors.
As you’re shopping for presents, it may be easy to leave bags or boxes in the car, or let packages pile up on the doorstep. But these visuals are easy targets for thieves, who can break into vehicles or swipe a package from the stoop.
Make sure you’re not leaving valuables in plain sight, and if you’re gone for an extended period of time, ask a neighbor to keep your packages or mail for you, or collect newspapers from the driveway while you’re out.
Questions about home insurance? Contact a Sea Mountain Homeowners Insurance Specialist today!
